Techniques for hybridized ultra-wideband and narrowband signaling

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable medium are provided for utilizing a hybrid of ultra-wideband (UWB) and narrowband (NB) signaling to provide more efficient operating range and operating efficiency. For example, a first device may schedule transmission of a packet via a narrowband signal to a second device. The first device may then transmit the packet, whereby the packet conveys synchronization data that is used by the second device to schedule reception of a plurality of fragments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal. The first device may then schedule and transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via the ultra-wideband signals, each fragment being time-spaced from other fragments of the plurality of fragments by at least a predefined time interval.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/108,862, filed on Nov. 2, 2020, entitled“TECHNIQUES FOR HYBRIDIZED ULTRA-WIDEBAND AND NARROWBAND SIGNALING,” thecontents of which are herein incorporated by reference. This applicationis also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed XX,XX, 2021 entitled, “SIGNALING TECHNIQUES USING FRAGMENTED ANDMULTI-PARTITIONED UWB PACKETS,” (which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/229,482, filed Aug. 4, 2021 entitled,“SIGNALING TECHNIQUES USING FRAGMENTED AND MULTI-PARTITIONED UWBPACKETS”), U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed XX, XX, 2021entitled, “SEQUENCES FOR ULTRA-WIDEBAND RANGING,” (which claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/233,109, filed Aug. 13, 2021entitled, “SEQUENCES FOR ULTRA-WIDEBAND RANGING”) and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______, filed XX, XX, 2021 entitled, “ANNOUNCINGUWB/NBA-UWB-MMS RANGING ROUNDS VIA NARROWBAND BASED ADVERTISEMENTS,”(which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/233,598,filed Aug. 16, 2021 entitled, “ANNOUNCING UWB/NBA-UWB-MMS RANGING ROUNDSVIA NARROWBAND BASED ADVERTISEMENTS”) the contents of all of which areherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Wireless devices can employ short-range wireless applications for manydifferent tasks. For example, a wireless device (e.g., a key fob) may beconfigured such that when the device comes within a certain proximity ofa vehicle (e.g., a car), the doors of the vehicle are automaticallyunlocked. It many cases, regulatory rules and/or other technicallimitations may constrain the usage of a particular type of wirelesssignaling. These regulatory rules and/or technical limitations may varybetween different types of wireless signaling. For example, regulatoryrules governing ultra-wideband (UWB) signaling may vary from rulesgoverning narrowband (NB) signaling, at least in part because they mayutilize different spectral bands. In some cases, these regular rulesand/or technical limitations make it difficult for systems to achieve adesired operating range and/or a desired operating efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of example UWB-equipped devices,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is another simplified block diagram illustrating exampletechniques for exchanging wireless messages between UWB-equippeddevices, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for computing a Channel Impulse Response (CIR),according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for formatting a UWB packet, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for determining a time-of-flight (TOF), according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 6 is another simplified diagram illustrating an example a powerspectral density associated with a measurement of a UWB signal,according to some embodiment.

FIG. 7 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for transmitting data fragments within a UWBframework, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for transmitting data fragments associated with a UWBpacket type, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for transmitting data fragments over multiple timeintervals within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is another simplified diagram illustrating potential advantagesand disadvantages of at least some wireless systems that utilize UWBsignaling and/or NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NBsignaling, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NBsignaling, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least someexample techniques for utilizing NB signaling via an NB packet format,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 14 is another simplified block diagram illustrating two devicesthat are respectively configured to communicate with each otherutilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 15 is another simplified block diagram illustrating a hybridwireless transceiver of a device that is configured to communicate withanother device utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 16 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange of signalsbetween two devices, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 17 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange ofsignals between two devices, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 18 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exampleprocess conducted by an initiator device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 19 is another simplified flow diagram is another simplified flowdiagram illustrating an example process conducted by a responder device,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 20 is another simplified block diagram illustrating utilizing NBsignaling to transmit UWB payload data, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 21 is another simplified block diagram illustrating examplewaveforms that may be contained in one or more fragments transmitted bya UWB signaling layer of a device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 22 is another simplified block diagram illustrating a first portionof an example process conducted by a device for hybrid signaling,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 23 is another simplified block diagram that illustrates a remainderportion of the example process of FIG. 22, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 24 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating signaltransmissions according to a bi-directional redundant packet exchangeprotocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 25 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange between two devices according to a bi-directional redundantpacket exchange protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 26 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating signaltransmissions according to a uni-directional redundant packettransmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 27 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange between two devices according to a uni-directional redundantpacket transmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 28 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating signaltransmissions of a non-interleaved ranging protocol utilizing a knownfixed turnaround time, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 29 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange based on a known fixed turnaround time, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 30 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating anon-interleaved ranging protocol including an exchange of NB signals tocommunicate round-trip time and/or turnaround time following abi-directional exchange of UWB fragments, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 31 is another simplified flow diagram is another simplified flowdiagram illustrating a message exchange that utilizes an exchange of NBsignals following a bi-directional exchange of UWB fragments, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 32 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange ofsignals according to a uni-directional NB and non-interleaved UWBranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 33 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to a uni-directional NB and non-interleaved UWBranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 34 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange ofsignals according to a beaconing protocol, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 35 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to a beaconing protocol, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 36 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange ofsignals according to an interleaved ranging protocol, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 37 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to an interleaved ranging protocol, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 38 is another simplified block diagram illustrating use of aseparate wireless system for initial device discovery and connectionsetup, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 39 is another simplified block diagram illustrating use of aseparate wireless system for initial device discovery and connectionsetup, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various examples will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theexamples may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe example being described.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide techniques forutilizing a hybrid of ultra-wideband (UWB) and narrowband (NB) signalingto provide improved operating range and/or operating efficiency whenperforming wireless communication between devices. For example,techniques disclosed herein may enable a first device to efficientlydetermine a position (location) of a second device relative to the firstdevice and/or efficiently determine a distance estimation (e.g., a rangeestimate) between the two devices. To illustrate, consider an example inwhich two devices, a first device and a second device, are capable ofwireless communication. In this example, the hybrid signaling may beperformed according to a ranging protocol, involving bi-directional NBand UWB signaling between the first device and the second device. Thetwo devices may first perform an initial phase, during which there maybe an initial device discovery and an initial (e.g., “coarse”)synchronization between the two devices. In some examples, this initialphase may be performed by a wireless system of each device, for example,that is equipped to transmit wireless signals using Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE). During this initial phase, the wireless system of the firstdevice may schedule a start time (e.g., a discrete time instant) fortransmission of at least one packet (e.g., an “NB poll” packet) to thesecond device via an NB signal. The first device may also schedule awindow (e.g., a time interval) for subsequent reception of a secondpacket (e.g., an “NB response” packet transmitted via another NB signal)by the first device from the second device.

Following this initial phase, the first device may then transmit thescheduled NB poll packet to the second device at the scheduled starttime via the NB signal, whereby the packet may convey (e.g., indicate)one or more types of synchronization data to be used for a second (e.g.,“fine”) synchronization between the two devices. For example, the packetmay include a synchronization (“sync”) field and a data payload field.The data payload field may include scheduling data (e.g., which also maybe known as “scheduling information”). The second device may extract atype of synchronization data from the sync field that corresponds totime and frequency synchronization information (e.g., T/F syncinformation) by using state-of-the-art synchronization and/or signalacquisition techniques. The second device may also extract another typeof synchronization data from the data payload field that corresponds toscheduling data by using state-of-the-art demodulation and decodingtechniques. The synchronization data may be used by the second device toschedule and assist in the reception of a plurality of data fragments tobe subsequently transmitted by the first device to the second device viaUWB signals in short bursts and distributed over multiple intervals. Inthis example, the scheduling data of the NB poll may also includescheduling information regarding the NB response packet transmissionstart time, enabling the second device to schedule transmission of theNB response packet to the first device at the NB response start time.The second device may subsequently transmit the NB response packet atthe desired start time, whereby the NB response packet conveys secondsynchronization data, similar to as described above with respect to thesynchronization data from the first device to the second device. Thissecond synchronization data may be used by the first device to scheduleand assist in the reception of a second plurality of fragments that maybe subsequently transmitted by the second device to the first device viaUWB signals distributed over multiple intervals. In this way,NB-signaling layers of each device may assist the respectiveUWB-signaling layers in synchronization and other functions. Note thatthe assistance in the reception of the UWB signals derived from thesynchronization data conveyed via the NB signals may compriseconfiguration of the UWB receptions in terms of carrier frequency andsample frequency offsets relative to the respective associated (secondor first) device.

The first device may then schedule and transmit the plurality of UWBfragments to the second device for reception at the second deviceaccording to the synchronization data that was previously obtained bythe second device from the first device. In this example, the pluralityof UWB data fragments may collectively represent a Channel ImpulseResponse Training Sequence (CIRTS) of a UWB-formatted packet. Uponreceipt of the CIRTS from the first device (e.g., via aggregating thefragments), the second device may use the CIRTS to estimate a ChannelImpulse Response (CIR) and/or determine other synchronizationinformation (e.g., time and frequency information, scheduling data,etc.). After a turnaround time interval, which, in this example, may bea fixed time interval that is known by the first device, the seconddevice may then, correspondingly, schedule and transmit the secondplurality of UWB fragments to the first device for reception at thefirst device according to the second synchronization data that waspreviously obtained by the first device from the NB transmission of thesecond device. The first device may then, similarly compute a CIRestimate and/or obtain other synchronization information. Then,utilizing computed CIR information, and, taking into account (e.g.,subtracting) the turnaround time, the first device may determine atime-of-flight (TOF) that is associated with a Line-of-Sight (LOS) pathbetween the two devices. Accordingly, the first device may then be ableto determine a range and/or position of the first device with respect tothe second device. In this way, by utilizing a hybrid of NB and UWBsignaling, embodiments improve upon operating range and/or efficiencywhen performing ranging and/or positioning via UWB signaling.

To further illustrate, consider a scenario in which a first device(e.g., an “initiator” device) and a second device (e.g., a “responder”device), respectively, include a hybrid wireless system (e.g., a hybridwireless transceiver). Using the first device as a representativeexample device, the hybrid wireless system of the first device mayinclude an ultra-wideband sub-system and a narrowband sub-system. Eachsubsystem may include wireless transmission and reception circuitry andfunctionality for NB and UWB signaling. Additionally, these twosub-systems may be tightly coupled together. For example, the hybridwireless transceiver may include a shared time base unit, for example,including a Crystal Oscillator (XO) and/or a clocking and time-keepingapparatus. The shared time base unit may ensure that the NB and UWBsubsystems generate signals that are tightly synchronized in time andfrequency. The subsystems for a given device may also share MediumAccess Control (MAC) functionality. The MAC functionality may utilize acommon time base (e.g., based on the shared time base unit) tocoordinate between the sub-systems on a given device. Additionally,radio and physical layer (PHY) functionality may also operate based onthe common time base between the sub-systems.

Additionally, the hybrid wireless transceiver may include a hybridsystem controller. The hybrid system controller may coordinatetransmission and reception activities of both the NB and UWBsub-systems, as well as information exchange between the NB and UWBsub-systems. For example, the hybrid system controller may receive timeand frequency synchronization information from the NB sub-system. Insome embodiments, the hybrid system controller may also receive payloaddata information from the NB sub-system. The hybrid system controllermay also schedule data transmission and reception conducted by the NBsub-system. The hybrid system controller may also provide time andfrequency configuration information to the UWB sub-system. This mayenable the UWB sub-system receiver to be more precisely configured(e.g., synchronized), based on the time and frequency informationextracted from the NB signaling. Since the time base unit is sharedbetween the NB and UWB sub-systems, including any frequency offsetsrelative to an associated device, this configuration information helpstailor the UWB reception for incoming UWB signals (e.g., correspondingto CIRTS fragments) and thereby improve the receiver efficiency as wellas performance for the CIR estimation. The hybrid system controller mayalso use data received from NB signals to schedule UWB transmission orreception activities, based on certain transmission/reception parameters(e.g., carrier frequency, UWB bandwidth, etc.). In turn, the hybridsystem controller may also receive UWB reception information includingsynchronization data (e.g., time and frequency configurationinformation) and CIR information. Although embodiments described hereinmay refer to individual components of the hybrid wireless transceiver asperforming particular operations, embodiments should not be construed tobe so limited. For example, the hybrid system controller may residewithin one of the subsystems (e.g., NB or UWB) described herein. Anysuitable division of operations between one or more software and/orhardware components may be suitable to perform embodiments describedherein.

Continuing with the illustration introduced above, consider a scenarioin which the first device and the second device conduct a bi-directionalexchange of data (e.g., CIRTS fragments) between the two devices. Asdescribed herein, the two devices may perform a “coarse” initialsynchronization. In one example, whereby the first device operates as an“initiator” device and the second device operates as a “responder”device, the first device may schedule a start time (e.g., a discretetime) to transmit a packet to the second device via an NB signal thatconveys synchronization data (e.g., including time and frequencysynchronization information). The second device may also correspondinglyschedule a window to receive the packet via the NB signal from the firstdevice. It should be understood that, in some embodiments, a time may beassociated with a particular start time (e.g., a discrete time instant).In some embodiments, a time may be associated with a time interval(e.g., a window and/or time slot), depending on the context. In someembodiments, data exchanged during the initial phase information mayenable the two devices to be aligned (e.g., clock-synchronized) to bewithin approximately a desired time delta (e.g., a 1 millisecond (ms)delta) between clock apparatuses of the two devices (e.g., managed bythe respective shared time base units). In some embodiments, the initialphase may also be used to perform initial device discovery and otherconnection setup operations. In some embodiments, this initial phase maybe performed on each device by a separate wireless system from thehybrid wireless transceiver. For example, the separate wireless systemmay utilize a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol and/or reside on aseparate System on Chip (SOC) device from the hybrid wirelesstransceiver. In some embodiments, the initial phase including suchoperations as service advertisement/discovery, connection setup, orcoarse synchronization may be performed by the same system that performsoperations of the hybrid wireless transceiver described herein, notablyby the NB sub-system in some embodiments.

Upon completion of the initial phase, the first (initiator) device maytransmit the packet via the NB signal to the second device at thescheduled start time. As described herein, the NB packet may includedata that conveys synchronization data to the second device. Forexample, the packet may include data such as Preamble, a Start-of-FrameDelimiter and/or other Synchronization fields. In some embodiments, thispacket data may be used by the second device to extract synchronizationdata (e.g., from a sync field of the packet), for example, correspondingto time and/or frequency synchronization information. In someembodiments, this packet data may be used to extract othersynchronization data (e.g., from payload data of the packet), forexample, corresponding to scheduling information. In one example,example, frequency synchronization information may correspond to arelative carrier frequency (which also may be known as “F sync”information), which can be used to synchronize Crystal Oscillator (XO)offsets of both devices, described further herein. In some examples, theF sync information may be used to configure a UWB receiver of one deviceto optimize its frequency correction circuits in preparation forreceiving a UWB signal from the other device. In some examples, the timesynchronization information (which also may be known as “T sync”information) may be used by a device to “anchor” a subsequent UWBexchange in accordance with a timekeeping apparatus of the device,described further herein. In some embodiments, the time and/or frequencyinformation may be extracted based at least in part on detecting apattern (e.g., an expected signal pattern associated with thesynchronization header of the packet). As described herein, in someembodiments, the synchronization data may also correspond to schedulinginformation that is extracted from the packet payload data. Thescheduling information may be used, in one example, to schedulereception by a device (e.g., the second device) of a subsequent UWBpacket (e.g., and/or fragment) transmission from another device (e.g.,the first device). It should be understood that, the packet payload datamay also include other types of information (e.g., non-synchronizationdata, such as status information, control information, etc.).

It should be understood that different types of synchronization data maybe included in transmissions between devices, depending on the context.In one non-limiting example, the first device (e.g., operating as aninitiator device) may transmit data that conveys (e.g., indicates and/orenables extraction of) both time and frequency synchronizationinformation as well as scheduling information. In this example, thesecond device may subsequently transmit data to the first device thatconveys only time and/or frequency information. In another example, thedata transmitted to the first device may also include schedulinginformation. In yet another example, data included within an NB packetmay convey not only scheduling information to another device (e.g., thesecond (responder) device) for scheduling an NB response packet, butalso may convey scheduling information for scheduling a subsequent UWBresponse transmission by the second device.

Continuing with the illustration above, the second device may thenobtain and evaluate synchronization data from the packet. Thesynchronization data may be used by the second device to schedule asubsequent reception of a plurality of fragments received from the firstdevice via respective UWB signals. As described herein, the packet mayalso contain scheduling data that the second device uses to schedule asecond start time for transmission of a second packet to the firstdevice via a second NB signal. Correspondingly, the first device mayalso schedule a time (e.g., and/or a time window) for reception of thesecond packet that is subsequently transmitted from the second device tothe first device at the second start time. The second device may thentransmit the second packet via the second NB signal to the first deviceat the second start time. Upon receiving the second packet during thescheduled window, the first device may obtain (e.g., extract) secondsynchronization data from the second packet. The first device may thenutilize the second synchronization data extracted from the second packetto schedule and assist reception of a second plurality of fragments tobe received from the second device.

Turning to the transmission and reception of UWB fragments by eachdevice, the first device may schedule transmission of the plurality offragments to the second device. The scheduling of transmission of theplurality of fragments may be in accordance with synchronization datathat was conveyed to the second device by the first device via the NBsignal. The first device may then transmit the plurality of fragments tothe second device. As described further herein, each fragment of theplurality of fragments may be time-spaced from other fragments of theplurality of fragments by at least a predefined time interval (e.g., 1ms). In one example, the plurality of fragments may collectivelycorrespond to (e.g., represent) a CIRTS that is operable for computing aCIR estimate associated with wireless propagation paths between thefirst device and the second device. It should be understood that,because the CIRTS may be separated into multiple fragments (e.g.,instead of being transmitted within a single fragment as part of acontinuous UWB signal transmission), the overall amount of energy thatmay be emitted by the first device for the fragmented UWB transmissionmay be higher than that of a single UWB transmission when conforming tocertain regional regulatory constraints that govern energy emissions fora given region. Also, the operating range for the overall UWBtransmission may be greater than would otherwise be possible if theCIRTS were transmitted as a single data fragment or single UWB packet.This may be due in part to enabling a device to aggregate energy frommultiple fragments. In some embodiments, as described further herein,the plurality of fragments may correspond to a particular type ofsequence of fragments (e.g., Pseudo-Random Sequences (STS), PeriodicSequences, Golay Sequences). Also note that limiting the UWB to a singlefragment (as opposed to a plurality of fragments) representing a CIRTSis already beneficial, as in a conventional UWB transmission theavailable emissions energy needs to be shared between the SHR (SyncHeader) and the CIRTS, while in the hybrid system the functionality ofthe SHR is at least partly delegated to the NB system and therebyoffloading the UWB system from various synchronization tasks.

Upon the plurality of fragments being transmitted by the first devicevia UWB signals, the second device may receive each fragment, and thensubsequently obtain aggregated information from the plurality offragments. For example, the second device may compute an estimated CIRbased on the CIRTS that is represented within the plurality offragments. In some embodiments, the second device may also obtain otherdata (e.g., synchronization data, scheduling data, etc.) from theplurality of fragments. Similar to the first device, the second devicemay then schedule transmission of the second plurality of fragments. Thesecond plurality of fragments (e.g., UWB fragments) may be scheduled fortransmission in accordance with the second synchronization data that waspreviously obtained by the first device from the second device (e.g.,extracted based on sync header information of the second packettransmitted by the second device to the first device via the second NBsignal). In some embodiments, the scheduling may also (and/oralternatively) be based on synchronization data obtained from one ormore of the plurality of fragments received from the first device. Thesecond device may then transmit the second plurality of fragments to thefirst device, similar to as described above with respect to theplurality of fragments transmitted from the first device to the seconddevice. Upon receiving the second plurality of fragments, the firstdevice may compute an estimated CIR based on the CIRTS that isrepresented by the second plurality of fragments. In some embodiments,the first device may also obtain synchronization data or other suitabledata from the second plurality of fragments.

Upon the first device computing the estimated CIR based on the secondplurality of fragments, the first device may further be able to computea time-of-flight interval based in part on the CIR estimate. Forexample, the first device may determine a round-trip time interval thatcorresponds to a time delta between a first time that the plurality offragments (e.g., a first fragment of the plurality of fragments) wastransmitted to the second device, and a second time that the secondplurality of fragments (e.g., a last fragment of the second plurality offragments) was received by the first device from the second device. Thefirst device may further determine a turnaround time interval thatcorresponds to a second time delta between a third time that theplurality of fragments was received by the second device from the firstdevice, and a fourth time that the second plurality of fragments wastransmitted by the second device to the first device. The first devicemay then subtract the turnaround time interval at the second device fromthe round-trip time interval to help in determining the time-of-flight(TOF). In some embodiments, the TOF may represent the distance (e.g.,traveled by respective signals going through a direct line-of-sight(LOS) path between the two devices) divided by the speed of light, whichcan be exploited to estimate the distance from the TOF. In someembodiments, the turnaround time interval may be a fixed time intervalthat is known (e.g., in advance) by the first device (and/or the seconddevice). In some embodiments, the second device may subsequentlycommunicate relevant information (e.g., timestamp information viaanother NB signal) to the first device which may be used to determinethe turnaround time at the second device and, based on that, the TOF.Based on the determining the TOF between the two devices, the firstdevice may determine range and or relative positioning informationbetween the two devices. In some embodiments, only the first device maydetermine to compute range/positioning information. In some embodiments,both the first device and the second device may determine to computerange/positioning information. For example, the second device maysimilarly receive information from the first device via an NB signalthat enables it to compute or utilize a turnaround time interval at thefirst device, and subsequently compute a TOF/range information betweenthe two devices. In some embodiments, the second device may also obtainthe TOF result computed by the first device as a payload data NBtransmission if and when the second device requires knowledge of theTOF.

In some embodiments, an exchange of one or more signals (e.g., NBsignals and/or UWB signals) may be in accordance with one or moreprotocols. The use of a particular protocol may depend, for example, onthe context and/or intended use for performing the signal exchange. Forexample, one protocol may correspond to a bi-directional exchange of NBsignals (e.g., packets) and may include utilizing a redundant and/orduplicate NB packet exchange with a pseudo-random channel hoppingsequence. This may improve reliability against interference and/ormulti-path fading phenomena when performing an NB signaling to assistwith coordinating the UWB signaling. In some embodiments of thisprotocol, the NB control information, which may correspond to whatchannels and/or how many hopping channels are used, may be pre-definedor exchanged via an out-of-band system (e.g., Bluetooth, BLE, or thelike) during connection set-up (e.g., during the initial phase, asdescribed herein). In another example of a protocol, a uni-directionalNB exchange including redundant transmissions with channel hopping maybe used. This may be useful, for example, in conjunction with utilizinga beaconing protocol to perform a uni-directional exchange of UWBfragments (e.g., transmitting a plurality of fragments from a firstdevice to a second device, but not vice versa). For example, in onebeaconing protocol, the second (receiver) device may be one of severaldevices (e.g., anchor devices) that interact with the first (initiator)device according to the beaconing protocol. In one example, the seconddevice may subsequently perform ranging and/or positioning based ontriangulation with one or more of the other devices, based in part onthe estimated CIR.

In some embodiments, as described herein, a protocol may be utilizedwhereby a first device (e.g., initiator device) may determine atime-of-flight interval and/or range based on a fixed turnaround timeinterval that is known by the initiator device. In some embodiments, theturnaround time interval (e.g., including timestamp and/or statusinformation) may be transmitted by the second device (e.g., theresponder device) to the initiator device via an NB signal after thefirst device receives a plurality of fragments from the responderdevice.

In some embodiments, a protocol may be utilized where a uni-directionalNB exchange is immediately followed by UWB fragments in the samedirection. This may allow multiple responders to be involved in aranging exercise, by letting them respond in a known sequence or arandom order. In yet another protocol example, an interleaved rangingprotocol may be utilized, whereby an initiator device and a responderdevice may utilize a same predetermined time interval to transmitindividual fragments. In this example, instead of having the initiatordevice transmit to the responder device a plurality of fragments,followed by the responder device transmitting a second plurality ofpackets to the initiator device, the fragments within respectivepluralities may be interleaved. This may reduce an overall time forperforming ranging between the two devices.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide several technicaladvantages over existing techniques. In one example, embodiments of thepresent disclosure enable a hybrid wireless system to perform hybridizedsignaling that includes tightly coordinated UWB signaling and NBsignaling. For example, as described herein, an NB sub-system (e.g., anNB signaling layer) of the hybrid wireless system may be used to assistwith one or more functions of a UWB sub-system (e.g., a UWB signalinglayer). These sub-systems may be tightly coupled based on a common(e.g., shared) time base and shared MAC functionality on a givenphysical device, as described here. The one or more functions of the NBsignaling layer may include, for example, coordinating time andfrequency synchronization between UWB signaling layers of respectivedevices, performing control, management, and/or status signaling betweenthe devices, etc. Meanwhile, the UWB signaling layer may perform shortimpulse radio bursts distributed over a time interval (e.g., a multitudeof milliseconds (MMS)). The bursts may represent a fragmented UWBtransmission (e.g., of a Channel Impulse Response Training Sequence(CIRTS)/Scrambled Time Sequence (STS).

In some embodiments, the hybrid wireless system may enable the NBsignaling layer to be responsible for conveying synchronization datasuch as time and frequency synchronization information, for example,conveyed via the sync header (SHR) of a conventional UWB packet, whichmay be more efficient than distributing the SHR over multiple SHRfragments via the UWB signaling layer. For example, transmittingmultiple SHR fragments in a case where the arrival time of each fragmentis not known in advance may require significant memory for bufferingand/or significant amounts of processing power. Accordingly, the amountof memory and/or processing power may be reduced by utilizing the NBsignaling layer instead of utilizing a conventional UWB SHR. Meanwhile,the CIRTS/STS portion of the UWB packet may be fragmented according to aUWB fragmenting protocol. The receiver of the fragmented packet mayutilize the synchronization data communicated via the NB signaling sothat the receiver may accurately schedule reception (e.g., arrival time)of subsequently received UWB fragments. By enabling fragmentation of aUWB transmission, embodiments may enable a receiver of a UWBtransmission to achieve higher performance when measuring thepropagation channel for extraction of geometrical and/or positioningmetrics such as distance (e.g., range) or angle. For example, a UWBwaveform utilized for a given measurement cycle may be fragmented intoshort bursts (e.g., fragmented multi-millisecond (MMS) signaling) anddistributed over multiple regulatory (e.g. emissions) test intervals(e.g., in accordance with the regulatory rules for a particular region).A receiver device may take advantage of the energy that is “raked in”(e.g., aggregated) from various intervals (e.g., for each short burst),thus enabling a more accurate CIR estimation. Based in part on this CIRestimation, a time-of flight, range, position (localization), and/orangle-of arrival (AOA) estimation may be determined. Thus, by utilizinga hybrid wireless system that is capable of tightly coordinated NB andUWB signaling, embodiments enable at least improved operating range andoperating efficiency for UWB-based signaling.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of example UWB-equipped devices,according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, various types ofUltra-Wideband (UWB) devices may be improved, at least with respect tooperating range, operating efficiency, and/or other featureenhancements. In some embodiments described herein, UWB transmissionsare split into short bursts of packet fragments that are distributedover multiple regulatory/emissions measurement intervals in order toincrease the energy radiated by a UWB transmitter per each transmission.

Due to its large bandwidth (BW) of 500 MHz or more, one beneficial usecase of UWB is that of “ranging.” In some embodiments, ranging maycorrespond to the precise measurement of the time-of-flight (TOF) of theradio waves between two UWB-equipped devices A and B and the estimationof the distance (e.g., the “range”) between these devices. The large BWmay help to resolve dense electromagnetic reflections that may bepresent in the vicinity of the devices, such as floors, ceilings, walls,furniture, cars, plants, appliances, or other human-made or naturalobjects in indoor or outdoor environments. Measuring the ToF/Rangebetween devices such as mobile phones, wireless audio speakers, TV's,desktop or laptop computers, door locks for homes or cars, or otherconsumer devices may be beneficial to enable novel user experiences.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (described further below) illustrate scenarios withUWB-equipped devices. In diagram 100 of FIG. 1, a handheld device 110communicates with other handheld, stationary, or Internet-of-Things(IoT) devices to measure distances or other positioning metrics such asdirections of appearance of devices with respect to each other. Devicesinvolved in such communication include phones (e.g., mobile device 120),tags (e.g., pet tag 160), wireless speakers (e.g., wireless speakers 170a, 170 b, and 170 c), television sets, displays, doors (e.g., doorlocking device 140), cars, home appliances (e.g., smart speaker 130),thermostats (e.g., thermostat control device 150), desktop and laptopcomputers, tablet computers, etc.

FIG. 2 is another simplified block diagram 200 illustrating exampletechniques for exchanging wireless messages between UWB-equipped devices(or “stations”), according to some embodiments. Diagram 200 of FIG. 2illustrates how UWB device A 202 and UWB device B 204 may exchangewireless messages between each other over time in the form of wirelesspackets 206 a-c. In the case of Impulse Radio (IR) UWB, the waveformexchanged between devices contains UWB pulses, shown as p1, p2, p3, . .. in FIG. 2. This may represent, for example, a series of pulsestransmitted from device B 204 to device A 202 in response to a first setof pulses transmitted from A to B. In some embodiments, IR-UWB may beused to perform techniques described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is another simplified block diagram 300 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for computing a Channel Impulse Response (CIR),according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, to enable adetermination of a mutual range or position of devices, a technique usedby wireless systems such as UWB is to compute a Channel Impulse Response(CIR) 306. A CIR 306 may represent a profile of direct and indirect(reflected) wireless propagation paths between two devices such asstation A 302 and station B 304, each path being characterized by itspropagation delay, magnitude, and radio frequency (RF) phase. Due to thelarge BW of UWB, CIRs can be computed with a high level of resolution inUWB, which in turn enables a more precise extraction of theLine-of-Sight (LOS) path and hence TOF/range that corresponds to thefirst path in the CIR.

For example, as illustrated in diagram 300 of FIG. 3, a pulse PT 308 istransmitted from station A 302 at time t_A1. In some embodiments, withrespect to IR-UWB, the pulse PT 308 may be viewed as beingrepresentative of a long series of pulses. In this example of diagram300, pulse PT 308 propagates to station B 304 via a series ofpropagation paths, PP1 310 a, PP2 310 b, PP3 310 c, and PP4 310 d. PP1310 a is a direct Line-of-Sight path, while PP2 310 b, PP3 310 c and PP4310 d are reflections off of objects Ob2 312 a, Ob3 312 b, and Ob4 312 cin the environment. After a bulk delay “TOF” (time-of-flight) 314,representing the distance divided by the speed of light, the signalgoing through the direct (LOS) path PP1 310 a arrives at receive stationB 304, as pulse PR1 314 a, at time t_B1. The pulses corresponding to thereflection paths PP2 310 b, PP3 310 c, and PP4 310 d arrive later thanthe direct paths, as PR2 314 b, PR3 314 c, and PR4 314 d, and theirarrival times will depend on the travel distance from station A 302 tostation B 304 via one or multiple reflectors each path is subject to.Note that PR1 314 a, PR2 314 b, PR3 314 c, and PR4 314 d are an examplesof a channel impulse response (CIR) 306. In some embodiments, the CIR306 may enable devices to determine metrics such as the distance d_ABbased on the TOF which itself is derived off the first arriving path PR1314 a.

While UWB can also be used for more traditional wireless transmissionpurposes such as Data Payload transfer, estimation of the CIR 306 forToF/Ranging/Positioning is a particular strength of UWB. In someembodiments, this advantage of UWB may be due in part to UWB's largebandwidth of 500 MHz or more.

In some embodiments, to estimate the CIR 306 (e.g., sometimes referredto as “channel sounding”), wireless systems including UWB use what maybe referred to as “Channel Impulse Response Training Sequences” (CIRTS).CIRTS may be waveforms known to both the transmitter (e.g., device A202) and the receiver (e.g., device B 204) in a link between the twodevices. If the transmitter sends out a waveform containing a specificTraining Sequence 1 (CIRTS1_TX), the wireless propagation channel withits direct and reflected propagation paths may linearly distort thewaveform so that a modified waveform CIRTS1_RX will arrive at thereceiver. Since the receiver has advanced knowledge of CIRTS1_TX, it cancompare the incoming signal CIRTS1_RX with the known sequence CIRTS1_TX.Then, using mathematical algorithms such as correlations and othersgenerally referred to as “Channel Estimation” in the state of the art,the receiver can extract the CIR between the transmitter at device A 202and the receiver at device B 204.

FIG. 4 is another simplified block diagram 400 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for formatting a UWB packet (e.g., packet(s) 206of FIG. 2), according to some embodiments. FIG. 4 shows an example of atype of UWB packet format with its constituent fields and theirrespective purposes, per the international standard defined for UWB inIEEE 802.15.4z. A Sync Header (SHR) 402 at the beginning of the packetconsists of a Synchronization (SYNC) preamble 404 and a start of framedelimiter (SFD) 406. The SHR 402 has a multitude of purposes includingAutomatic Gain Control, Frequency Offset Estimation (Frequency Sync orF-Sync), Timing Estimation (T-Sync), Initial Channel Estimation, etc.,generally referred to as “Acquisition” or “Synchronization” (Sync). TheSFD 406 terminates the SHR 402 and is also involved in coordinating thepacket timing (e.g., frame timing estimation). The subsequent field,shown as CIRTS/STS 408, refers to a Channel Impulse Response TrainingSequence, or, in the case of 802.15.4z, a Scrambled Timestamp Sequence(STS). STS refers to a CIRTS that contains pseudo-random pulses knownonly to the transmitter and receiver of a given link to ensure securechannel estimation and secure distance measurements. In someembodiments, the CIRTS/STS 408 may be utilized for precise and/or securechannel estimation and/or time-stamp validation. FIG. 4 shows twoadditional packet fields, the PHY Header (PHR) 410 and the Payload data(e.g., PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU)) 412. The PHR 410 may containparameters of the PHY header, and the payload may contain suitable datacontents. Note that other packet types are defined for UWB that consist,for example, only of the SHR 402 and the CIRTS/STS 408 (e.g., “No-Datapackets”), which can be utilized for channel sounding, but without anypayload data transfer. There are also Payload-only packet formats thatconsist of the SHR 402 and the PHR 410/Payload 412 fields, in which caseno precise and/or secure channel sounding is needed and the main purposeis data transfer.

FIG. 5 is another simplified block diagram 500 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for determining a time-of-flight (TOF),according to some embodiments. As depicted in diagram 500 of FIG. 5,based on the determination of the TOF, the distance between twostations, station A 502 and station B 504, may be determined. In someembodiments, station A 502 transmits a “poll” message (A-to-B) 506 a ata time t_(A1). The LOS path, as determined by station B based on theCIR, arrives at t_(B1), where the time delta between t_(A1) and t_(B1)represents the TOF. After a turnaround time at station B, T_(B,TO), thelatter transmits a “response” message (B-to-A 506 b) at time t_(B2). TheLOS path of the response message arrives a time t_(A2), so that the TOFis again visible on the diagram 500 as the difference between t_(A2) andt_(B2). By measuring the “round-trip” time T_(A,RT) and subtracting theturnaround time T_(B,TO), station A 502 can calculate the TOF. In someembodiments, the technique illustrated by diagram 500 is a form of TOFmeasurement protocol (or “ranging protocol”). In some embodiments, theremay be variants where three or more packets (e.g., packet(s) 206) areinvolved to improve the robustness against real-life radio impairmentssuch as Crystal Oscillator (XO) offsets between station A 502 andstation B 504. As described further herein, embodiments provide forranging protocols utilizing a new hybrid wireless system context.

FIG. 6 is another simplified diagram 600 illustrating an example a powerspectral density associated with a measurement of a UWB signal,according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, techniques describedherein enable improvements for a scenario in which a CIRTS andassociated CIR estimation steps at a receiver device are distributedacross multiple fragments, covering multiple regulatory/emissions testintervals, which may increase the radiated energy utilized for thetransmission of the CIRTS. This distribution may also enable improvementof the operating range.

Using FIG. 6 to further illustrate this context, diagram 600 illustratesthe power spectral density (PSD) 602 for a regulatory measurement of aUWB signal. While regulatory rules may differ between countries andregulatory regions, in some regions, an example UWB emissions limit maycall for a maximum PSD of −41.3 dB/MHz across the UWB signal bandwidth(e.g., 500 MHz in this example). The PSD 602 shown in this example meetsthis requirement for all spectral components, with some of them hittingthe limit of −41.3 dBm/MHz. In some embodiments, the measurement may beconducted with an averaging (spectrum analyzer sweep) time of 1millisecond (1 ms). This implies that, for this scenario, the maximumamount of energy a UWB system can emit per ms corresponds to roughly37e-9 Joule=37 nanoJoules (nJ) in each ms per 500 MHz of bandwidth. Thisis illustrated by the graph 604 near the bottom of diagram 600. Theavailable energy (up to 37 nJ) is transmitted in a shorter (“dense”, D)or longer (“flat”, F) burst. The power (shown via the y-axis) iscorrespondingly higher or lower, as Energy is calculated as durationtimes power. In some embodiments, there may be peak power constraintsgoverned by UWB regulatory rules in different regions. Accordingly, thecompression to shorter durations may work within certain limits anddepends on the density of IR pulses.

FIG. 7 is another simplified block diagram 700 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for transmitting data fragments within a UWBframework, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments,regulatory constraints may be taken into account at least in part bydefining a fragmented UWB framework, as illustrated by diagram 700 ofFIG. 7.

In diagram 700, a Transmit Frame (TXF) 702 is depicted as being split upinto a multitude of fragments 704 a-c that are distributed over multipleregulatory test intervals of duration T_test_reg 706. For example, afirst fragment (“Frag1”) 704 a may be transmitted during a time intervalof T_test_reg 706. For the example illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, up to37 nJ can be radiated over each fragment 704 a-c. Thus, if N fragments704 are utilized for a given UWB transmission, the overall transmissioncan radiate up to N*37 nJ. It should be understood that duration of aT_test_reg 706 may be a predefined time interval of any suitableduration (e.g., 1 millisecond, 1.5 ms, 2 ms, etc.).

FIG. 8 is another simplified block diagram 800 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for transmitting data fragments associated witha UWB packet type, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments,one example UWB packet format for performing a UWB transmission is thatof a No-Data packet 801, as shown in diagram 800. See also FIG. 4 above.In the example of diagram 800, the No-Data packet 801 includes a Syncheader (SHR) 802 and an STS/CIRTS 804. Note that the Sync header 802 mayinclude a SYNC preamble and an SFD.

FIG. 9 is another simplified block diagram 900 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for transmitting data fragments over multipletime intervals within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments. Indiagram 900 of FIG. 9, a No-Data packet 902 (e.g., similar to theNo-Data packet 801 depicted in FIG. 8) is illustrated, which may includean SHR field 904 and a CIRTS field 906. The No-Data packet is split intoan SHR fragment 908 and several (e.g., two, in this example) CIRTSfragments 910 a-b. Each CIRTS fragment 910 may be transmitted in aseparate regulatory test interval, to benefit from the full energybudget for its emissions. In some embodiments, keeping the fragmentsshort is beneficial at least because UWB signal processing can consume asignificant amount of power due to the high bandwidth and sample ratesin the radio and digital modem circuitry. Furthermore, using shorterfragment durations (e.g., and hence longer silence periods betweenfragments) can help minimize the chance of collisions between differentlinks utilizing the same UWB spectrum.

If, as in FIG. 9, the CIRTS 906 is distributed over a multitude ofintervals, the receiver side (station B) of a UWB link will be able toachieve a higher performance in estimating the CIR. This is at leastbecause energy can be “raked in” from the various intervals, CIRTS frag1910 a, CIRTS frag2 910 b, etc., this enabling a more accurate analysisof the fragments and/or over a longer distance. Meanwhile, to ensurethat the CIR estimation works reliably, a high performance of theSync/Acquisition step may desirable. This may be because amis-synchronization during the SHR 904 may deteriorate the CIRTS 906processing. Because, in FIG. 9, the SHR 904 only benefits from oneinterval's worth of energy, there is an inherent imbalance between theenergy available to the SHR 904, versus the energy available to theCIRTS 906. One potential solution may be to distribute the SHR 904 overmultiple intervals and therefore increase the operating performance.However, this may result in a less efficient solution. In someembodiments, the arrival time of the packet (e.g., the fragments of apacket) are not precisely known a priori. Accordingly, processingmultiple SHR fragments 908 in the Sync/Acquisition step may require useof substantial memory for buffers and/or a large amount of processingpower. This inefficiency may be undesirable in particular forhandheld/portable or Internet of Things devices. Accordingly,embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for increasingthe operating efficiency and/or operating range, for example, via ahybrid wireless system, as described further herein.

FIG. 10 is another simplified diagram 1000 illustrating potentialadvantages and disadvantages of at least some wireless systems thatutilize UWB signaling 1002 and/or NB signaling 1004, according to someembodiments. In some embodiments described herein, a hybrid wirelesssystem is utilized, in which Narrowband (NB) signaling 1004 andUltra-Wideband (UWB) 1002 signaling are combined in a way that addressespotential challenges addressed herein and improves operating efficiencyand/or operating range of UWB systems. In some embodiments, systems thatperforms narrowband signaling may include wireless systems that have abandwidth significantly smaller than that of UWB. In some embodiments,UWB may have a minimum bandwidth of 500 MHz, so NB may refer to systemsexhibiting a fraction of that bandwidth, such as several 100 kHz, 1 MHz,or 10˜20 MHz. Some non-limiting examples of NB systems would benarrowband GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying) or DPSK (DifferentialPhase Shift Keying) signaling as utilized in Bluetooth or IEEE 802.15.4O-QPSK (Offset Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying format) as used in suchindustry standards as ZigBee or Thread. More narrowband modes inwireless local area networks (WLANs), such as IEEE 802.11 modes spanning20 or 40 MHz of spectral bandwidth, may also be classified as NBsignaling in the context of this disclosure as they have significantlylower bandwidth than UWB and tend to operate in different frequencyspectra. In some embodiments, they are also regulated by a different setof regulatory constraints than UWB.

Before turning to FIG. 10 in further detail, and, to provide furthercontext regarding regulatory constraints and bandwidth considerations,international regulatory rules governing UWB deployments and associatedradiated emissions may define low emissions limits for UWB devices, asthe latter tend to operate in spectral bands below 10 GHz primarilytargeted for commercial or military operation of point-to-point orsatellite links, radars, or other protected applications. Hence UWBemissions may be relegated to operate at the spurious emission levelsallowed for other electronic devices (e.g., mobile devices, householddevices, etc.) in order not to interfere with such licensed uses.Transmit powers for UWB may be limited to −14 dBm on the average in manyregions.

By contrast, a variety of more narrowband systems and associatedregulatory rules exist that have significantly looser emissions limitsas they operate in bands targeted for such unlicensed uses. The 2.4-2.5GHz so-called ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band is a primeexample that accommodates NB applications such as 1 or 2 MHz wideBluetooth (BT) or ZigBee/Thread transmissions, or Wireless Local AreaNetworks (WLANs) with bandwidths in the 20 MHz or 40 MHz regimes. The2.4-2.5 GHz band is an example for a band available in most regulatoryregions world-wide. There are other ISM-like spectra that, in manycountries, include the 5.725-5.875 GHz band. Other spectra, includinglarge parts of the 5-6 GHz bands, are also often open for variouslicense-free, non-UWB uses, under certain conditions. Transmit powers(radiation levels) of these more NB systems are often in the 10 dBm, 20dBm, or even 30 dBm region.

UWB, with its large bandwidth (500 MHz, 1 GHz or beyond), isparticularly advantageous for advanced ranging & sensing applicationswhere precise measurements of the propagation channel between associateddevices allow extraction of such metrics as the Time-of-Flight (ToF) andcorresponding distance between devices. However, the limited emissionspose a challenge to the operating range. By contrast, the highertransmit/transmission (Tx) powers of NB systems allow better operatingrange but fall short on the potential to do high-accuracy estimation dueto their more limited bandwidth.

Turning to FIG. 10 now in further detail, diagram 1000 shows acomparison of the advantages and disadvantages of UWB and Narrowband(NB) wireless systems from the perspective of an implementer of awireless system. UWB signaling 1002 benefits from the large bandwidth ofat least 500 MHz, which is very advantageous for high resolution CIRmeasurements which in turn can be exploited for precise positioning andranging, as outlined above. The wide bandwidth is also beneficial forhigh rate data transmissions. One of the challenges associated with thelarger UWB bandwidth is that it requires higher complexity, such ashigher Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) sample rates and associatedsignal processing effort, as well as increased analog and digital powerconsumption. As explained above, UWB regulatory rules also putsignificant constraints on the allowed emissions, which makes it harderto achieve a desired operating range. NB signaling 1004, by contrast,tends requires fairly low complexity and power consumption and may havehigh resilience against interference especially when operated in afrequency-hopping fashion. NB systems, when operated in spectradesignated for NB/ISM uses, also benefit from significantly largeremission limits. NB systems are not, however, as well suited tohigh-resolution CIR estimation (ranging/sensing), due in part to theinherently limited bandwidth, and hence limited resolvability ofmultipath in the propagation channel.

FIG. 11 is another simplified block diagram 1100 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NBsignaling, according to some embodiments. In diagram 1100 of FIG. 11, atransmission of portions of a No-Data packet 1102 via hybrid signalingis illustrated. In this case, the Sync/Acquisition portion (SHR) 1104 ofthe UWB packet is replaced by an NB Packet 1108, while the CIRTS 1106continues to use UWB signaling. The NB Packet 1108 is transmitted in aspectral band suitable for NB operation, and the UWB CIRTS 1106 istransmitted in a spectral band suitable for UWB operation. While in FIG.1100, the NB Packet 1108 and the UWB CIRTS 1106 take place in temporalsequence (serially), they can also take place at the same time in adifferent embodiment. Note that each of these transmissions will beaccording to regulatory rules governing the NB and UWB transmission,respectively.

In some embodiments, this NB/UWB hybrid structure has certain benefits,which may be realized by utilizing devices operating according to theembodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the hybrid packetstructure enables these devices to address challenges described above,for example, in the case of the packet format with a fragmented CIRTS(e.g., see FIG. 9). This is illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 12 is another simplified block diagram 1200 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NBsignaling, according to some embodiments. In diagram 1200 of FIG. 12,the function of the SHR 1202 is taken over by the NB Packet 1204 (e.g.,via an NB signal transmission) and where the CIRTS 1206 is split intomultiple (here, N) fragments 1208 a-n. Although a fragment 1208 may betransmitted at a start of a predefined time interval, embodiments shouldnot be construed to be so limited. For example, in the illustration ofFIG. 12, the transmission of fragment N 1208 n is slightly offset fromthe start of a particular time interval (e.g., a T_test_reg interval, asdescribed and illustrated with respect to FIG. 9). In some embodiments,an initiator and responder device may communicate configurationinformation so that a receiver device (e.g., the responder device) mayknow in advance parameters of when the fragment will be transmitted.This configuration information may be communicated via NB signals.Furthermore, while not illustrated in FIG. 12, note that a fragmentedUWB transmission taking place in the context of the hybrid NB/UWB systemmay not only carry CIRTS data. Some of the CIRTS fragments 1208 a-n maybe replaced with Data Payload fragments based on distributing a packetcontaining Data Payload as per the “Data Field” (PHR and Payload/PSDU)in FIG. 4. Also note that the hybrid system concept is beneficial forUWB transmissions containing a single UWB fragment (N=1, see FIG. 11)and for UWB transmission containing multiple UWB fragments (N>1, seeFIG. 12), and embodiments with N=1 and N>1 are possible.

FIG. 13 is another simplified block diagram 1300 illustrating at leastsome example techniques for utilizing NB signaling via an NB packetformat 1302, according to some embodiments. Diagram 1300 of FIG. 13shows two NB packet formats 1304 a-b known in the state of the art: Thetop NB packet format shows a Bluetooth format 1304 a consisting ofAccess Code, Header, and Payload portions. The bottom NB packet formatillustrates an O-QPSK packet format 1304 b from IEEE 802.15.4, commonlyused for ZigBee or Thread technologies. It should be understood thatother suitable NB packet formats 1302 may be utilized to performembodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the split of a packet field into fragmentsas illustrated in FIG. 12 or FIG. 9 is for functional purposes. Forexample, the fragments are not necessarily related to the originalun-fragmented field. For example, it is not necessary that concatenatingthe CIRTS fragments in FIG. 12 and/or FIG. 9 yields the originalnon-fragmented CIRTS field. Thus, the fragmented fields are meant as asubstitute for the original packet field in terms of the desiredfunctionality, such as Channel (CIR) estimation in the case of a CIRTSfield fragmented CIRTS packet structure, respectively. As describedherein, in some embodiments, an NB packet may include a synchronization(sync) field (e.g., within a packet header) and/or a data payload field.In some embodiments, the sync field may be used to conveysynchronization data. For example, a receiver device that receives theNB packet (e.g., during a scheduled window) may detect a signal patternthat is known between both the sender device and the receiver device. Insome embodiments, this signal pattern may be associated with the syncfield (e.g., sync header) of the NB packet. Upon detecting this pattern,the receiver device may be able to extract synchronization data in theform of time and frequency information, as described herein. In someembodiments, the receiver device may also extract synchronization datafrom the data payload field of the NB packet, for example, in the formof scheduling information that may be used to schedule subsequentreception of one or more UWB fragments.

FIG. 14 is another simplified block diagram 1400 illustrating twodevices that are respectively configured to communicate with each otherutilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to someembodiments. Diagram 1400 of FIG. 14 shows a view of two devices, deviceA 1402 and device B 1404, communicating with each other according to ahybrid wireless system approach, according to some embodiments.Specifically, each device (1402 and 1404) has a Hybrid WirelessTransceiver (HWT) 1406 a or 1406 b comprising an NB Subsystem 1408 a or1408 b and a UWB Subsystem 1410 a or 1410 b that are tightly coupledwith each other in each respective device, as described further herein.As part of the communication between devices A and B, specifically usingthe “division of labor” between NB and UWB signaling as previouslyillustrated by FIGS. 11 and 12, the NB Subsystem 1408 a of device A 1402may communicate directly with the NB Subsystem 1408 b of device B 1404,and the UWB Subsystem 1410 a of device A 1402 may communicate directlywith the UWB Subsystem 1410 b of device B 1404. In FIG. 14, the NBSubsystems 1408 a-b and UWB Subsystems 1410 a-b in each device are shownto have their own physical antennas 1412 a-b and 1414 a-b (e.g.,including, for example, a first antenna 1412 a of the narrowband system1408 a and a second antenna 1414 a of the UWB sub-system 1410 a), but itshould be understood that a single shared antenna covering both NB andUWB operations may be a suitable implementation, and that amulti-antenna solution may be utilized for such advanced signalprocessing schemes as antenna diversity, spatial multiplexing, ortransmit or receive beamforming.

FIG. 15 is another simplified block diagram 1500 illustrating a hybridwireless transceiver 1502 of a device that is configured to communicatewith another device utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NBsignaling, according to some embodiments. Diagram 1500 of FIG. 15provides more detail of the HWT 1502 in each device and illustratesdetails and functional components of the above mentioned tight couplingbetween the NB Subsystem 1504 and UWB Subsystem 1506 in the HWT 1502.Each such transceiver includes the NB Subsystem 1504 and the UWBSubsystem 1506, each of which contains wireless transmit and receivecircuitry and functionality for the NB and UWB signaling, respectively.The HWT 1502 also has provisions for a Shared Time Base 1508 (e.g.,module or unit), which consists of a Crystal Oscillator (XO) and anyrelated clocking and timekeeping apparatus. The Shared Time Base 1508may enable the NB Subsystem 1504 and the UWB Subsystem 1506 to createsignals that are tightly synchronized in time and frequency. That is, ifan NB signal operates off the Shared Time Base and has a certain clockfrequency and/or carrier frequency imperfection, measured inparts-per-million [ppm] offset, the UWB signal in the same HWT 1502 mayexhibit the same reference imperfection in ppm. As the transmit andreceive elements of the NB Subsystem 1504 and the UWB Subsystem 1506 ofa device may operate off the same Shared Time Base 1508, theclock/carrier offset (in [ppm]) of NB Tx (NB signal transmission), NB Rx(NB signal reception), UWB Tx (UWB signal transmission), and UWB Rx (UWBreception) circuitries may be substantially similar (e.g., identical).

Furthermore, as depicted in FIG. 15, there is a joint controller (HybridSystem Controller (or Control)) 1510 governing the transmit and receiveactivities of both the NB Subsystem 1504 and the UWB Subsystem 1506 andthe information exchange between the NB and UWB systems. In someembodiments, the hybrid system controller 1510 may be used to coordinatetransmission or reception activities between a sub-system of a firstdevice and another sub-system of a second device that is a same type asthe sub-system of the first device. In some embodiments, the hybridsystem controller 1510 may coordinate information exchange between anarrowband sub-system of a first device and an ultra-wideband sub-systemof the same (first) device. In some examples, the Control block (e.g.,the Hybrid System Controller 1510) may receive Time and FrequencySynchronization (“T & F Sync,” or “synchronization data”) informationfrom the NB Subsystem. F Sync includes information about the ppm offsetthe NB estimates, relative to an associated device. T Sync includesinformation associated with the packet timing on the air, as measured bythe NB Subsystem 1504. The Control block may also receive Payload Datainformation (Rx Data) from the NB Subsystem 1504. The T & F Sync and RxData together may be referred to herein as “NB-Rx-Info.” The Controlblock also schedules transmissions and receptions conducted by the NBSubsystem 1504, which may include certain Tx (transmission)/Rx(reception) Parameters utilized by the NB Subsystem 1504, and possiblyPayload Tx Data.

The Control block also provides Time & Frequency (T & F) configurationinformation to the UWB Subsystem 1506. This helps to more precisely setup the UWB receiver based on the T & F information extracted from the NBsignaling. Since the Time Base 1508 is shared between the NB Subsystem1504 and the UWB Subsystem 1506, including any frequency offsetsrelative to an associated device, this configuration helps tailor theUWB reception for the incoming UWB signals and maximize the performancefor the CIR estimation based on the CIRTS fragments. The Control blockalso uses the NB Rx-Info to schedule the UWB Tx and Rx activities basedon certain Tx/Rx Params (such as carrier frequency or UWB bandwidth). Inturn, the Control block also receives UWB-Rx-Info comprisingSynchronization (Time/Frequency Sync) and CIR information.

FIG. 16 is a simplified flow diagram 1600 illustrating an exchange ofsignals between two devices, according to some embodiments. Diagram 1600of FIG. 16 shows a signal and control flow diagram of an exchangebetween two associated HWT's that respectively use the HWT structureoutlined herein (e.g., in reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, describedabove). The dashed arrows represent wireless exchanges between device A1602 and device B 1604, while the solid arrows represent signals beingexchanged inside each HWT (in device A 1602 or device B 1604). Note thatfor clarity of illustration, the Control block is not explicitlyillustrated in diagram 1600. The NB sub-system 1606 in device A 1602transmits an NB packet “NB-A-to-B” 1610 to the NB Subsystem 1612 indevice B 1602. The latter extracts T & F Sync information (e.g., whichmay be otherwise referred to as “synchronization data”) and providesthis information to the UWB Subsystem 1614 for later use. For example,the synchronization data may be used to schedule, configure, and/orreceive subsequent UWB fragments from device A 1602, as describedfurther below. The NB Subsystem 1612 of Device B 1604 responds with itsown NB packet “NB-B-to-A” 1616 back to device A, 1602 which in turnextracts the T & F Sync information from that and provides it to itslocal UWB Subsystem 1618 for later use. Subsequently, the UWB Subsystem1618 in device A 1602 sends a UWB transmission “UWB-A-to-B” 1620(notably, a CIRTS or series of CIRTS fragments) to the UWB Subsystem1614 in device B 1604. As described above, device B 1604 may be able toefficiently determine when to expect the UWB transmission(s) from deviceA 1602 based in part on the previously stored T & F sync extracted fromthe NB packet reception. That is, the UWB Subsystem 1614 in Device B1604 has a more accurate understanding of when to expect the UWB signalfrom Device A 1602 and what ppm offset it will have, which it can use tominimize signaling processing effort and maximize performance of receivealgorithms and associated receive circuitry. Device B 1604 thentransmits a UWB response “UWB-B-to-A” 1622, which Device A 1602 mayreceive in a targeted fashion with higher efficiency and precision,based on the T & F sync information obtained during the reception of the“NB-B-to-A” 1616 packet. In some embodiments, the exchange “UWB-A-to-B”1620 and “UWB-B-to-A” 1622 may be a TOF measurement, as per FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, the T & F synchronization information extractedfrom the respective NB signals may be of high quality, as the NBsignaling may be subject to less stringent transmit emission rules.Accordingly, the Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver side of anNB transmission may be higher and allow more efficient and accurateacquisition. The T & F processing in the NB subsystems is alsolow-complexity and low power as compared to UWB sub-systems, at leastbecause the sample rates are generally lower than in the UWBsub-systems. Meanwhile, the “NB-assisted” reception of the UWB CIRTSfragments will be high quality (and high SNR) due to the aggregation ofenergy from multiple fragments, so that a high accuracy CIR extractionand corresponding positioning/ranging functionality is made possible.This “division of labor” between the NB and UWB sub-systems enable animproved operating range and operating efficiency when compared to otherUWB systems.

It should be understood that, although various modules (e.g.,components, and/or associated functionality) are described as beingseparate from other modules, embodiments should not be construed to beso limited. For example, FIG. 15 depicts the Hybrid System Controller asbeing a separate module from the Shared Time Base unit, each of whichare both separate from the NB sub-system and the UWB sub-system.However, in some embodiments, the Shared Time Base module and/or theHybrid System Control module may reside within one of the sub-systems(NB or UWB). In this case, the respective other subsystem could benefitfrom the control and time base functionality as a secondary or agentsystem (e.g., a delegate and/or sub-servient system). In any case,different distributions and/or aggregations of features betweendifferent modules may enable hybrid signaling to be performed, asdescribed in embodiments herein. It should also be understood that thesignal exchanges illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 (described furtherbelow) illustrated a particular type of signal exchange for a HybridWireless System consisting of NB and UWB subsystems. Other types ofsignal exchanges via other hybrid protocols are described furtherherein. These protocols correspond to different arrangements of NB andUWB transmissions, while still employing a hybridized signalingapproach, utilizing devices (e.g., initiator and responder devices) thatrespectively include a HWT.

FIG. 17 is another simplified flow diagram 1700 illustrating an exchangeof signals between two devices, according to some embodiments. Diagram1700 of FIG. 17 is a more detailed diagram of an example signal flowbetween and within the HWT's in devices A and B (e.g., device A 1602 anddevice B 1604 of FIG. 16). Additionally, FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate flowdiagrams of the processing steps conducted by respective devices, wheredevice A 1602 is referred to as the “Initiator” device (or “firstdevice”) and device B 1604 is referred to as the “Responder” device (or“second device”). Accordingly, descriptions of the processing stepsconducted by each device may refer to FIG. 17 for further illustrationof the signal exchange process. It should be understood that, in someembodiments, an initiator device may alternatively operate as aresponder device, and similarly, a responder device may alternativelyoperate as an initiator device, depending on the context.

Turning to the processing steps of device A (e.g., device A 1602) infurther detail as depicted by process 1800 of FIG. 18, at block 1802,the first device may schedule an NB-Tx start time and an NB-Rx window.In some embodiments, operations of this block may be conducted by awireless system of the first device that is separate from the HWT. Forexample, the wireless system may utilize a Bluetooth/BLE protocol. Insome embodiments, operations of this block may be performed within aninitial phase of the process 1800. The wireless system may beresponsible for one or more operations of the initial phase thatincludes handling advertising and/or scanning (e.g., device discovery),performing a “coarse synchronization” with the responder device B (e.g.,device B 1604), and/or performing other connection setup steps withdevice B 1604 (e.g., the second device). As described further herein, insome embodiments, the separate wireless system may be responsible forcommunicating NB control information, including, for example, whatchannels and/or how many hopping channels to use for NB signaling. Insome embodiments, a start time (e.g., a discrete time instant) may bescheduled for transmitting an NB poll packet to the second device, and atime window may be scheduled for receiving an NB response packet fromthe second device. In some embodiments, the coarse synchronization mayenable the respective timekeeping apparatuses of the devices to besynchronized to be within approximately 1 ms delta of each other. Thisinitial coarse synchronization may enable a subsequent “fine”synchronization via exchange of NB signals, described further below.

At block 1804, the first device may transmit an NB poll packet (depictedin FIG. 17 as NB-Tx A-to-B 1702) to device B 1604 via a narrowbandsignal at the scheduled start time. The poll packet may conveysynchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data)that may be subsequently used by the second device to schedule receptionof a plurality of fragments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband signal.

At block 1806, the first device may wait for an NB response packet, forexample, which may be expected to be received by the first device fromthe second device at the during the scheduled window (e.g., a timeinterval).

At block 1808, the first device may receive the NB response packet(depicted in FIG. 17 as NB-Rx B-to-A 1704). For example, the firstdevice may initiate reception of the NB response packet via thenarrowband signal during the scheduled window.

At block 1810, the first device may obtain NB-Rx-Info from the NBresponse packet. As described herein, this may include secondsynchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data),which may be used by the first device to schedule reception of a secondplurality of fragments that is subsequently received by the first devicefrom the second device.

At block 1812, the first device may schedule a transmission of theplurality of fragments (UWB-Tx fragments 1706 a-n). In some embodiments,this scheduling may be in accordance with the synchronization data thatwas conveyed to and obtained by the second device from the NBtransmission from the first device to the second device (e.g., at block1804), which, in turn, may be used by the second device to schedule andassist in the reception of the plurality of fragments 1706 a-n.

At block 1814, the first device may transmit a UWB poll packet to thesecond device in the form of the plurality of fragments (depicted inFIG. 17 as UWB-Tx A-to-B-1 . . . UWB-Tx A-to-B-N 1706 a-n). As describedherein, each fragment of the plurality of fragments 1706 a-n may betime-spaced from other fragments of the plurality of fragments 1706 a-nby at least a predefined time interval. In some embodiments, this timeinterval may be determined in part based on regional regulatory rulesthat govern signal emissions.

At block 1816, the first device may schedule reception of the secondplurality of fragments based on the second synchronization data (e.g.,from the NB-Rx-Info) that was obtained at block 1810.

At block 1818, the first device may receive the second plurality offragments from the second device (depicted in FIG. 17 as UWB-Rx B-to-A-1. . . UWB-Rx B-to-A-N 1708 a-n).

At block 1820, the first device may obtain aggregated UWB-Rx-Info fromthe second plurality of fragments. In some embodiments, this may includesynchronization data and/or other data which may be used to determine aCIR (e.g., a CIR estimate). As described herein (e.g., with respect toFIG. 3), the CIR estimate may be associated with a LOS path between thefirst device and the second device. As described herein, the CIR may beused to determine a TOF interval, which in turn may enable rangingand/or positioning may be determined by the first device (e.g., relativeto the second device). For example, the first device may determine aturnaround time interval that represents a time interval between thetime the plurality of fragments was received by the second device andthe time the second plurality of fragments was transmitted by the seconddevice to the first device (see. FIG. 5). In some embodiments, the firstdevice may know this turnaround time interval in advance (e.g., a fixedtime interval). In some embodiments, the first device may not know thisturnaround time interval in advance, and may subsequently receive an NBsignal from the second device that communicates this information. See,for example, FIG. 30, described further herein. In any case, the firstdevice may the compute the TOF by accounting for (e.g., subtracting) theturnaround time from the TOF flight, as described with respect to FIG.5.

As introduced above, FIG. 19 is another simplified flow diagram isanother simplified flow diagram illustrating an example processconducted by a responder device, according to some embodiments. Similarto the description of the initiator device of FIG. 18, descriptions ofthe processing steps conducted by the responder device in FIG. 19 mayrefer to FIG. 17 (e.g., with device B 1604 operating as the responderdevice) for further illustration of the signal exchange process. Notethat the processing steps of FIG. 19 may correspond to a counterpart ofthe processing steps of FIG. 18 (e.g., from the responder device pointof view).

Turning to the processing steps of device B 1602 (which may be referredto as the “second device”) in further detail as depicted by process 1900of FIG. 19, at block 1902, the second device may schedule an NB-Rx time.In some embodiments, operations of block 1902 may be similar to those ofblock 1802. For example, a wireless system of the second device mayperform a coarse synchronization with a first device (e.g., theinitiator device A 1602 of FIGS. 17 and 18).

At block 1904, the second device may wait for an NB poll packet from thefirst device. For example, the NB poll packet may have been transmittedat block 1804 of process 1800.

At block 1906, the second device may receive the NB poll packet from thefirst device (depicted in FIG. 17 as NB-Rx A-to-B 1710).

At block 1908, the second device may obtain NB-Rx-Info from the NB pollpacket. As described herein, this may include extracting synchronizationdata (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data and/or schedulinginformation), which may be used by the second device to schedule and/orassist in reception of a plurality of fragments via UWB signals that issubsequently received by the second device from the first device. Insome embodiments, the NB-Rx-Info may also contain data that is used toschedule transmission of an NB response packet (e.g., at a second starttime). In some embodiments, data from the NB-Rx-Info may be used forother purposes (e.g., status reporting, etc.).

At block 1910, the second device may schedule transmission of the NBresponse packet (e.g., at the second start time). As described above, insome embodiments, the scheduling may be based on the NB-Rx-Info obtainedat block 1908. In some embodiments, the scheduling may be performedindependent of data in the NB-Rx-Info.

At block 1912, the second device may transmit the NB response packet tothe first device (depicted in FIG. 17 as NB-Tx B-to-A 1712), forexample, at the second start time previously scheduled.

At block 1914, the second device may schedule and configure the UWBreceiver (e.g., UWB sub-system) for UWB-Rx receptions of the pluralityof fragments based on the synchronization data received at block 1908.Here, the NB-Rx-Info may also be used to configure the UWB receiverbefore and for the reception of the UWB signals, in particular one ormore of correction for Carrier Frequency Offset, Sampling FrequencyOffset, Carrier Phase, and Sample Phase.

At block 1916, the second device may receive UWB fragments (depicted inFIG. 17 as UWB-Rx A-to-B-1 . . . UWB-Rx A-to-B-N 1714 a-n). These UWBfragments may be the UWB poll packets being transmitted at block 1814 ofFIG. 18.

At block 1918, the second device may obtain aggregated UWB-Rx-Info. Insome embodiments, operations of this block may be similar to those ofblock 1820. In this case, the second device may obtain synchronizationdata and/or other data which may be used to determine a CIR.

At block 1920, the second device may schedule, configure, and transmitUWB-Tx response fragments (depicted in FIG. 17 as UWB-Tx B-to-A-1 . . .UWB-Tx B-to-A-N 1716 a-n). In some embodiments, the response fragmentsmay correspond to a plurality of fragments (e.g., the second pluralityof fragments of process 1800 that are received by the first device fromthe second device at block 1818). In some embodiments, schedulingtransmission of the plurality of fragments may be based in part on theNB-Rx-Info (e.g., obtained at block 1908) and/or UWB-Rx-Info (e.g.,obtained at block 1918, including UWB time/frequency synchronizationdata, CIR, etc.). In some embodiments, the second device may further beable to perform ranging and/or positioning, similar to as described withrespect to the first device. For example, the second device maydetermine a turnaround time and/or timestamp information that enables itto determine a TOF/range information (see Option-2 of FIG. 28, describedfurther herein).

In some embodiments, with respect to embodiments of FIGS. 17, 18, and19, the number of UWB fragments in the forward (A-to-B “Poll”) directionmay be identical to the number of UWB fragments in the reverse (B-to-A“Response”) direction, namely N. In some embodiments, the number offragments utilized for the forward and reverse directions may differ,and can be given as Nf and Nr for the forward and reverse directions,respectively.

FIG. 20 is another simplified block diagram 2000 illustrating utilizingNB signaling to transmit UWB payload data, according to someembodiments. Diagram 2000 depicts an embodiment where UWB payload data2002, as applicable and beneficial in some standard based UWB packetformats (e.g., see FIG. 4), joins the SHR 2004 in being handled by theNB signaling layer. In some embodiments, the NB subsystem with itsassociated signaling can help coordinate devices A and B in terms ofvarious management and maintenance purposes such as mutual transmissionof status information, as described further herein. In some embodiments,payload data of a UWB packet 2006 may also be transmitted via aplurality of fragments, similar to as described in reference totransmission of the CIRTS via UWB fragments.

FIG. 21 is another simplified block diagram 2100 illustrating examplewaveforms that may be contained in one or more fragments transmitted bya UWB signaling layer of a device, according to some embodiments.Diagram 2100 of FIG. 21 illustrates details of the IR waveform containedin each CIRTS fragment 2102 a-n utilized in the UWB signaling layer.Specifically, it lists various types of sequences that can be used todetermine the polarities of UWB IR pulses in each CIRTS fragment 2102.In 802.15.4z compliant packet formats (see FIG. 4), pulse polaritysequences to represent the CIRTS are based on Cryptographically SecurePseudo-Random Generator (CSPRNG) based sequences utilized for the STSportion of the packet. The case where the same CSPRNG type sequence “R”is used for each segment (e.g., fragment 2102) is illustrated as row 1in the Table in FIG. 21. Row 2 shows an embodiment where a differentCSPRNG polarity sequence (“R1”, “R2” . . . ) determines the IR pulsepolarities per segment. Row 3 represents an embodiment where a givenCIRTS fragment 2102 is composed of a periodically repeating shortsequence, a concept used for traditional ternary Ipatov preamblesequences in IEEE 802.15.4 UWB. Note that such a periodic sequence “E”may use Ipatov sequences or other periodic sequences where each CIRTSfragment 2102 consists of a series (periodic repetition) of a given basesequence. In Row 3 of the Table, the same periodic sequence “E” is usedfor each CIRTS fragment 2102, while in Row 4, a different periodicsequence (“E1”, “E2”, . . . ) may be used per CIRTS fragment 2102. InRow 5 and 6, Golay waveforms are used in each of the fragments. A Golaywaveform consists of a pair of sequences transmitted in successionwhich, together, have highly accurate autocorrelation properties. One ormore Golay pairs, with guard (silence) intervals between them longenough to cover the length of the expected CIR, can be used to represent“G” in each fragment 2102. A different choice of Golay pairs (one ormore pairs per fragment 2102) can be used across the N fragments 2102,such as “G1”, “G2”, . . . “GN.” One specific embodiment using Golaysequences uses multiple Golay pairs per each fragment 2102, where all ofthe pairs in a given fragment are based on the same pair, so that thefragment 2102 contains a periodic sequence each period of which is givenby one and the same Golay pair. In this latter embodiment, again, thefragments 2102 a-n can utilize the same period sequence or Golay basedperiodic sequences that differ from fragment to fragment.

As described herein, embodiments describe a tight coupling of NB and UWBsub-systems to improve effective operating range. As described furtherherein, there may be several protocol variants that utilize hybridsignaling via a tight coupling of NB and UWB sub-systems to achieveimproved operating range and/or efficiency.

FIG. 22 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a first portionof an example process conducted by a device for hybrid signaling,according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the process 2200 ofFIG. 22 and FIG. 23 corresponds to a process for determining a CIRestimate by an initiator device. (Note that blocks of FIG. 23 are acontinuation of the process 2200 of FIG. 22.). In some embodiments, thisprocess may be similar to the process 1800 of FIG. 18, performed by aninitiator. Process 2200 (and other process flows described herein) arerespectively illustrated as logical flow diagrams, each operation ofwhich represents a sequence of operations that can be implemented inhardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In thecontext of computer instructions, the operations representcomputer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readablestorage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform therecited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the likethat perform particular functions or implement particular data types.The order in which the operations are described is not intended to beconstrued as a limitation, and any number of the described operationscan be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement theprocesses. In some embodiments, any one or more of the flows describedherein may be implemented by a hybrid wireless system, for example,comprising the hybrid wireless transceiver described in reference toFIG. 14 and/or FIG. 15.

Additionally, some, any, or all of the processes may be performed underthe control of one or more computer systems configured with executableinstructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executableinstructions, one or more computer programs, or one or moreapplications) executing collectively on one or more processors, byhardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may bestored on a computer-readable storage medium, for example, in the formof a computer program comprising a plurality of instructions executableby one or more processors. The computer-readable storage medium isnon-transitory.

In some embodiments, process 2200 may be performed by an initiatordevice (e.g., a “first device”) that exchanges one or more signals witha responder device (e.g., a “second device”) counterpart. As describedherein, it should be understood that a device may operate as aninitiator (device) and/or a responder (device), depending on thecontext. Accordingly, for example, one or more operations of the process2200 may also be applicable (e.g., similar) to the first device that isoperating as a responder device.

Turning to process 2200 in further detail, at block 2202, a first device(initiator) may schedule a start time (e.g., a discrete time) fortransmitting a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device(responder). In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2202may be similar to operations of block 1802 of FIG. 18.

At block 2204, the first device may schedule a window for reception of asecond packet that is transmitted by the second device to the firstdevice via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or moreoperations of block 2204 may be similar to operations of block 1802 ofFIG. 18.

At block 2206, the first device may transmit the packet via thenarrowband signal to the second device at the start time. In someembodiments, the packet may comprise data indicating to the seconddevice, for example, a time period for reception of a plurality offragments. For example, the packet may convey synchronization data thatis utilizable by the second device to schedule and/or assist receptionof a plurality of fragments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband (UWB)signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2206 may besimilar to operations of block 1804 of FIG. 18.

At block 2208, the first device may receive, from the second device, thesecond packet via the second narrowband signal during the window. Insome embodiments, one or more operations of block 2208 may be similar tooperations of block 1808 of FIG. 18.

At block 2210, the first device may obtain (e.g., extract) secondsynchronization data based at least in part on the second packet (e.g.,a sync header and/or data payload of the second packet). In someembodiments, one or more operations of block 2210 may be similar tooperations of block 1810 of FIG. 18.

At block 2212, the first device may schedule transmission of theplurality of fragments via the ultra-wideband signal. In someembodiments, this scheduling may be performed in accordance with inaccordance with the synchronization data previously conveyed to thesecond device (e.g., at block 2206, including scheduling information).In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2212 may be similarto operations of block 1812 of FIG. 18.

Continuing with block 2214 in FIG. 23, the first device may transmit theplurality of fragments to the second device via the ultra-widebandsignal. In some embodiments, at least one fragment of the plurality offragments may be time-spaced from at least one other fragment of theplurality of fragments by at least a predetermined time interval. Insome embodiments, one or more operations of block 2214 may be similar tooperations of block 1814 of FIG. 18.

At block 2216, the first device may schedule reception of a secondplurality of fragments based at least in part on the secondsynchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations ofblock 2216 may be similar to operations of block 1816 of FIG. 18.

At block 2218, the first device may receive, from the second device, thesecond plurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-widebandsignal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2218 may besimilar to operations of block 1818 of FIG. 18.

At block 2220, the first device may determine a Channel Impulse Response(CIR) estimate based at least in on the second plurality of fragments.In some embodiments, the Channel Impulse Response estimate may beassociated with a Line-of-Sight (LOS) path between the first device andthe second device. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block2220 may be similar to operations of block 1820 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 24 is another simplified flow diagram 2400 illustrating signaltransmissions according to a bi-directional redundant packet exchangeprotocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to someembodiments. Using a redundant/duplicate NB packet exchange (e.g., inreference, for example to block 1804 of FIG. 18 and/or block 1912 ofFIG. 19) with a pseudo-random channel hopping sequence may improvereliability against interference and/or multi-path fading phenomena.Diagram 2400 of FIG. 24 depicts an instance of this scheme with threeredundant transmissions using pseudo-random channels. The term “channel”here refers to a specific wireless spectral location at which the NB istransmitted, such as a carrier frequency in units GHz (such as e.g.2.450 or 5.806 GHz or 5.912 GHz) around which the NB signal centeredwith its specific spectral bandwidth (such as 1 MHz or 2 MHz or severalhundred kHz). Certain channels can be congested by other wireless usersor suffer from signal fading as is common on wireless communication inmultipath environments, and “hopping” over channels can help reducepacket losses due to these phenomena. The initiator 2402 (e.g., one ofthe initiator devices described herein) initiates the first messagewithin an initiation packet and the responder 2404 attempts to receivethe same. In some embodiments, this scheme can further be optimized tosave power by using the following rules: (a) The initiator 2402 can skiprest of the NB exchange if it receives ANY of (2), (4) and (6); (b) Theresponder 2404 shall always listen for (1), (3) and (5), but transmit(2), (4) and/or (6) only if its immediately preceding reception wassuccessful. This scheme may be called Bidirectional NB exchange sinceboth sides exchange the NB packets. This protocol may be useful if afollowing tightly coupled UWB exchange also involves bidirectionalmessages/fragments (e.g., as depicted by FIG. 17). As described herein,the NB redundancy and channel hopping configuration can be exchangedout-of-band (OOB) using a device radio frequency (RF) protocol. In someembodiments, a separate (e.g., OOB) wireless system from the HWT on thedevice may be used to coordinate NB control information (e.g., utilizingBluetooth/BLE during connection setup).

FIG. 25 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange between two devices according to a bi-directional redundantpacket exchange protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according tosome embodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchange of process2500 of FIG. 25 may correspond to the protocol depicted in reference toFIG. 24. It should be understood that some operations (e.g., schedulingNB signals, transmission of UWB fragments, etc.) associated with process2500 (and/or other processes described further herein) may beadditionally be performed prior to, during, or after operations of theblocks depicted by the process 2500. Accordingly, it should beunderstood that the simplified protocol illustrated by process 2500(and/or other processes described herein) may further include (and/or beincluded within) other operations and/or protocol variants of thepresent disclosure (e.g., a full-ranging protocol, a beaconing protocol,etc.).

Turning to process 2500, at block 2502, a first device (e.g., initiator2402) may transmit to a second device (e.g., responder 2404) a firstinitiation packet via a first narrowband channel. As described above,and, for example, it should be understood that, prior to the operationsof block 2502, one or more operations may be performed to schedule astart time for transmission of the first initiation packet (e.g.,similar to one or more operations of block 1802 of FIG. 18).

At block 2504, the first device may transmit to the second device asecond initiation packet via a second narrowband channel that isdifferent from the first narrowband channel. The second initiationpacket may be transmitted based at least in part on determining that afirst response packet is not received by the first device from thesecond device via the first narrowband channel in response to the firstinitiation packet. Note that, if the second device had transmitted afirst response packet, then the second initiation packet may not havebeen transmitted by the first device to the second device. In someembodiments, the second initiation packet may still be transmitted, evenif a first response packet is received by the first device from thesecond device.

At block 2506, the first device may transmit to the second device athird initiation packet via a third narrowband channel that is differentfrom the first narrowband channel and/or the second narrowband channel.The third initiation packet may be transmitted based at least in part ondetermining that a second response packet is not received by the firstdevice from the second device via the second narrowband channel inresponse to the second initiation packet.

At block 2508, the first device may receive, from the second device, athird response packet via the third narrowband channel in response tothe third initiation packet. At this block, according to the protocoldescribed in reference to FIG. 24, the first device may then terminateexchanging NB packets.

FIG. 26 is another simplified flow diagram 2600 illustrating signaltransmissions according to a uni-directional redundant packettransmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according tosome embodiments. FIG. 26 is similar to FIG. 24, but, in this case, onlyone side transmits the NB packets (e.g., an initiator 2602 to aresponder 2604). Embodiments that employ a beaconing protocol (e.g.,described further herein with respect to FIG. 34) may benefit from thisapproach. As described in reference to FIG. 24, in some embodiments, anOOB system may be used to coordinate transmission of NB controlinformation (e.g., via Bluetooth/BLE).

FIG. 27 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange between two devices according to a uni-directional redundantpacket transmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels,according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchangeof FIG. 27 may correspond to the protocol depicted in reference to FIG.26.

At block 2702, a first device (e.g., initiator 2602) may transmit to thesecond device (e.g., responder 2604) a first initiation packet via afirst narrowband channel.

At block 2704, the first device may transmit to the second device asecond initiation packet via a second narrowband channel that may bedifferent from the first narrowband channel.

At block 2706, the first device may transmit to the second device athird packet via a third narrowband channel that may be different fromthe first narrowband channel and the second narrowband channel.

FIG. 28 is another simplified flow diagram 2800 illustrating signaltransmissions of a non-interleaved ranging protocol utilizing a knownfixed turnaround time, according to some embodiments. Diagram 2800 ofFIG. 28 depicts a full ranging protocol utilizing hybrid signaling, asdescribed herein. The bi-directional NB exchange is same as shown inFIG. 24. The initiator 2802 a then sends the UWB fragments as per theinformation exchanged over NB/OOB protocol. The responder 2804 a, afterreceiving all the UWB fragments, performs ToA (time of arrival)extraction and sends its response UWB fragments starting at a fixedprecise time. This may be called a fixed turnaround time interval (e.g.,a fixed time interval) and the granularity of such time may be in tensof picoseconds. Since this fixed turnaround time itself implicitlycommunicates a precise time delta between responder UWB RX and TX, iteliminates the need for communicating this over a data packet/payload.The initiator 2802 a can compute the TOF after receiving the UWBfragments from the responder 2804 a. Correspondingly, if the responder2804 a determines to compute the range, Option-2 of FIG. 2800 may beutilized. For example, the exchange order of UWB fragments may beswapped, so that the responder 2804 b first sends a plurality offragments, and then subsequently receives a response plurality offragments from the initiator 2802 b. In this Option-2, a fixedturnaround time is still employed.

FIG. 29 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange based on a known fixed turnaround time, according to someembodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchange of process 2900of FIG. 29 may correspond to the protocol depicted in reference to FIG.28.

At block 2902 of process 2900, a first device (e.g., the initiator 2802)may transmit a packet via a narrowband signal to the second device(e.g., the responder 2804). In some embodiments, the packet may conveysynchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data,and/or scheduling information). In some embodiments, one or more of theoperations of block 2902 may be similar to operations of block 1804 ofFIG. 18. As described herein, the second device may obtain (e.g.,extract from a sync header and/or payload data of the packet) andutilize this synchronization data to schedule reception of a pluralityof UWB fragments from the first device. The first device may alsoschedule transmission of the plurality of UWB fragments in accordancewith this synchronization data.

At block 2904, the first device may receive, from the second device, thesecond packet that conveys to the first device second synchronizationdata via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe operations of block 2904 may be similar to operations of block 1808of FIG. 19. As described herein, the first device may obtain and utilizethis second synchronization data to schedule reception of a plurality ofUWB fragments from the second device. The second device may alsoschedule transmission of the second plurality of fragments in accordancewith this second synchronization data.

In some embodiments, the blocks 2902 and 2904 may be repeated as per thescheme described in reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25.

At block 2906, the first device may transmit the plurality of fragmentsto the second device via the ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments,each fragment of the plurality of fragments may be time-spaced fromother fragments of the plurality of fragments by at least a predefinedtime interval (e.g., according to relevant regulatory rules for emissionstandards).

At block 2908, the first device may receive, from the second device, thesecond plurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-widebandsignal. In some embodiments, a first time that a first fragment of thesecond plurality of fragments is transmitted to the first device isoffset from a first time that a first fragment of the plurality offragments is transmitted from the first device to the second device by afixed time interval that is known by at least the first device. In someembodiments, the fixed time interval may be utilizable for computing arange or time-of flight. For example, the first device may determine aturnaround time, which may then be used to determine a TOF.

At block 2910, the first device may determine a Channel Impulse Response(CIR) estimate based at least in on the second plurality of fragments.In some embodiments, the Channel Impulse Response estimate may beassociated with a Line-of-Sight (LOS) path between the first device andthe second device.

FIG. 30 is another simplified flow diagram 3000 illustrating anon-interleaved ranging protocol including an exchange of NB signals tocommunicate round-trip time and/or turnaround time following abi-directional exchange of UWB fragments, according to some embodiments.The diagram 3000 of FIG. 30 is similar to FIG. 28, but usesUnidirectional/Bidirectional NB packets after the exchange of UWBfragments between the initiator 3002 and the responder 3004 tocommunicate the roundtrip time and/or turnaround time along withoptional status reporting. This may be useful if the devices don't havefixed turnaround time capability or both sides need to know therange/TOF. Note that the unidirectional NB exchange may be used whenonly one side need to know the range, and the bidirectional NB exchangemay enable both sides to compute the range.

FIG. 31 is another simplified flow diagram is another simplified flowdiagram illustrating a message exchange that utilizes an exchange of NBsignals following a bi-directional exchange of UWB fragments, accordingto some embodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchange ofprocess 3100 of FIG. 31 may correspond to the protocol depicted inreference to FIG. 30.

At block 3102 of process 3100, a first device (e.g., the initiator 3002)may transmit a packet via a narrowband signal to the second device(e.g., the responder 3004), the packet conveying synchronization data.In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3102 may besimilar to operations of block 2902 of FIG. 29.

At block 3104, the first device may receive from the second device asecond packet conveying second synchronization data via a secondnarrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations ofblock 3104 may be similar to operations of block 2904 of FIG. 29.

In some embodiments, the blocks 3102 and 3104 may be repeated as per thescheme described in reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25.

At block 3106, the first device may transmit a plurality of fragments tothe second device via an ultra-wideband signal, each fragment of theplurality of fragments being time-spaced from other fragments of theplurality of fragments by at least a predefined time interval. In someembodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3106 may be similarto operations of block 1814 of FIG. 18.

At block 3108, the first device may receive from the second device asecond plurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-widebandsignal. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3108may be similar to operations of block 1818 of FIG. 18.

At block 3110, the first device may receive from the second device athird packet via a third narrowband signal. In some embodiments, thethird packet may include information that may be used to determine arange or time-of-flight. In some embodiments, the information mayinclude at least one of: (I) a roundtrip time, (II) a turnaround time,or (III) a status report. In some embodiments, as described herein, thefirst device may also transmit to the second device a fourth packet viaa fourth narrowband signal. This fourth packet may communicate similartypes of information as included with the third narrowband signal. Thisdata may allow the second device to also compute the range. As describedabove, this technique may be useful if the devices don't have fixedturnaround time capability or both sides need to know the range/TOF.

In some embodiments, the block 3110 may be repeated as per the schemedescribed in reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, and/or FIG. 26 and FIG.27.

FIG. 32 is another simplified flow diagram 3200 illustrating an exchangeof signals according to a uni-directional NB and non-interleaved UWBranging protocol, according to some embodiments. Diagram 3200 of FIG. 32depicts another variation whereby a unidirectional NB exchange betweenan initiator 3202 and a responder 3204 is immediately followed by UWBfragments in the same direction. This scheme may allow multipleresponders 3204 to be involved in a ranging exercise, by letting themrespond in a known sequence or a random order. In some embodiments, theresponse can either include the timestamp in the response NB packets oruse fixed turnaround time scheme to respond (as described herein). Theinitiator 3202 can thereby compute the respective range(s), as describedherein.

FIG. 33 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to a uni-directional NB and non-interleaved UWBranging protocol, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments,the message exchange of process 3300 of FIG. 33 may correspond to theprotocol depicted in reference to FIG. 32.

At block 3302, a first device (e.g., the initiator 3202) may transmit apacket via a narrowband signal to a second device (e.g., the responder3204), the packet conveying synchronization data. In some embodiments,one or more of the operations of block 3302 may be similar to operationsof block 1804 of FIG. 18. In some embodiments, the block 3302 may berepeated as per the scheme described in reference to FIG. 26 and FIG.27.

At block 3304, the first device may transmit a plurality of fragments tothe second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, oneor more of the operations of block 3304 may be similar to operations ofblock 1814 of FIG. 18.

At block 3306, the first device may receive from the second device, asecond packet conveying second synchronization data via a secondnarrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations ofblock 3306 may be similar to operations of block 1808 of FIG. 18. Notethat, in this case, the first device may receive the second packetfollowing transmission of the plurality of fragments at block 3304. Insome embodiments, the block 3306 may be repeated as per the schemedescribed in reference to FIG. 26 and FIG. 27.

At block 3308, the first device may receive from the second device asecond plurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-widebandsignal. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3308may be similar to operations of block 1818 of FIG. 18. In someembodiments, the first device may then use the information to computeToF and/or AoA.

FIG. 34 is another simplified flow diagram 3400 illustrating an exchangeof signals according to a beaconing protocol, according to someembodiments. As described above, in some embodiments, the beaconingprotocol may be employed when only one side, such as the initiator 3402,transmits NB signals (e.g., NB packets) and UWB signals (e.g., aplurality of fragments). This may be useful for example, if a second(receiver) device is one of several interested devices 3404 thatinteract with the first device according to the beaconing protocol. Inone example, the receiver device may subsequently perform ranging and/orpositioning based on triangulation with one or more of the otherdevices, based in part on the estimated CIR. In some embodiments, aninitiator 3402 may send periodic beacon messages. Note that thebeaconing protocol still utilizes a hybrid signaling approach, asdescribed herein.

FIG. 35 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to a beaconing protocol, according to someembodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchange of process 3500of FIG. 35 may correspond to the protocol depicted in reference to FIG.34.

At block 3502, a first device (e.g., initiator 3402) may schedule astart time for transmitting a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to oneor more interested devices 3404. In some embodiments, one or more of theoperations of block 3502 may be similar to operations of block 1802 ofFIG. 18.

At block 3504, the first device may transmit the packet via thenarrowband signal to the one or more interested devices 3404 at thescheduled start time. In some embodiments, the packet may conveysynchronization data that is used by the second device to schedulereception of a plurality of fragments, respectively, via anultra-wideband (UWB) signal. In some embodiments, one or more of theoperations of block 3504 may be similar to operations of block 1804 ofFIG. 18.

In some embodiments, the blocks 3502 and 3504 may be repeated as per thescheme described in reference to FIG. 26 and FIG. 27.

At block 3506, the first device may schedule transmission of theplurality of fragments via the ultra-wideband signal in accordance withthe synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more of theoperations of block 3306 may be similar to operations of block 1812 ofFIG. 18.

At block 3508, the first device may transmit the plurality of fragmentsto the second device via the ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments,each fragment of the plurality of fragments may be time-spaced fromother fragments of the plurality of fragments by at least a predefinedtime interval. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations ofblock 3308 may be similar to operations of block 1814 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 36 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating an exchange ofsignals according to an interleaved ranging protocol, according to someembodiments. In the interleaved ranging protocol as shown in process3600 of FIG. 36, the protocol halves the UWB fragments exchange time byletting initiator 3602 and responder 3604 use the same T_test_reg (seeFIG. 7). The TX and RX UWB fragments are interleaved in this case. Thisinterleaved UWB exchange is preceded by a bi-directional NB exchange andfollowed by a unidirectional or bidirectional timestamp/status NBexchange (see FIG. 30). In some embodiments, by enabling both theinitiator 3602 and the responder 3604 use the same time interval fortransmitting respective UWB fragments, this protocol may enable theoverall ranging exchange time to be significantly reduced. It should beunderstood that the transmission and/or reception attempts of UWBfragments itself can be conditional on successful reception of NBpackets. In some embodiments, this may help in optimizing power.

FIG. 37 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a messageexchange according to an interleaved ranging protocol, according to someembodiments. In some embodiments, the message exchange of process 3700of FIG. 37 may correspond to the protocol depicted in reference to FIG.36.

At block 3702 of process 3700, a first device (e.g., the initiator 3602)may transmit a packet via a narrowband signal to the second device(e.g., the responder 3604), the packet conveying synchronization data.In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3702 may besimilar to operations of block 2902 of FIG. 29.

At block 3704, the first device may receive from the second device asecond packet conveying second synchronization data via a secondnarrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations ofblock 3704 may be similar to operations of block 2904 of FIG. 29.

In some embodiments, the blocks 3702 and 3704 may be repeated as per thescheme described in reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25.

At block 3706, a first device may transmit a first fragment of aplurality of fragments to a second device via an ultra-wideband signal.In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block 3706 may besimilar to operations of block 1814 of FIG. 18.

At block 3708, the first device may receive from the second device afirst fragment of a second plurality of fragments. In some embodiments,the first fragment of the second plurality of fragments may betransmitted via a second ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, thefirst fragment of the second plurality of fragments is received by thefirst device within a predefined time interval that defines a time-spacebetween the first fragment and a second fragment of the plurality offragments. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of block3708 may be similar to operations of block 1818 of FIG. 18. Note that,in this case individual respective fragments from each plurality offragments are interleaved together when being transmitted/received byrespective devices.

At block 3710, the first device may transmit to the second device thesecond fragment of the plurality of fragments subsequent to a completionof the predefined time interval.

At block 3712, the first device may receive from the second device asecond fragment of the second plurality of fragments. It should beunderstood that multiple rounds of interleaved fragments may beexchanged between the two devices (e.g., including multiple rounds ofthe operations of block 3710 and 3712), until the complete respectivepluralities of fragments are exchanged between the devices.

At block 3714, the first device may receive from the second device apacket via a narrowband signal comprising information that may be usedto determine a range or time-of-flight, the information comprising atleast one of: (I) a roundtrip time, (II) a turnaround time, or (III) astatus report. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations ofblock 3710 may be similar to operations of block 3110 of FIG. 31. Notethat, in some cases, the first device may also (and/or alternatively)transmit a packet via a narrowband signal that enables the second deviceto also determine ranging information, depending on the context. In someembodiments, the operations of block 3714 may be repeated as per thescheme described in reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 and/or FIG. 26 andFIG. 27.

FIG. 38 is another simplified block diagram 3800 illustrating use of aseparate wireless system for initial device discovery and connectionsetup, according to some embodiments. Diagram 3800 depicts the NB-assistconcept being extended to include another wireless system that mayassist with initial device discovery and connection setup, as describedherein. In this example, the wireless system (e.g., BLE 3802) may beused for initial coarse alignment of devices, before control is handedover to the Hybrid NB+UWB transceiver 3804. In some embodiments, the BLE3802 may handle advertising/scanning, coarse synchronization, and/orconnection setup. Meanwhile, the NB sub-system may handle finesynchronization to assist (“anchor”) the MMS-UWB (Multi-Millisecond)transmission. Also, the UWB sub-system may more efficiently “harvest”multiple milliseconds worth of UWB energy from specialized fragments3806 a-c for TOF/AOA estimation.

FIG. 39 is another simplified block diagram 3900 illustrating use of aseparate wireless system for initial device discovery and connectionsetup, according to some embodiments. Diagram 3900 of FIG. 39 shows animplementation where the additional wireless system (such as BLE 3802)and the HWT are on separate Systems on Chip (SOCs 3906 a-b and 3908 a-b)on the same device (device A 3902 or device B 3904, respectively).

Illustrative techniques for transmitting a hybrid of NB and UWB wirelesssignals are described above. Some or all of these systems and methodsmay, but need not, be implemented at least partially by architecturessuch as those shown at least in one or more of FIGS. 1-39 above. Itshould be understood any suitable device may perform the techniquesdisclosed herein. Further, in the foregoing description, variousnon-limiting examples were described. For purposes of explanation,specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the examples. However, it should also beapparent to one skilled in the art that the examples may be practicedwithout the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features weresometimes omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the examplebeing described.

While there may be many embodiments of the concepts presented herein,one beneficial choice of NB and UWB embodiments may place the RadioFrequency (RF) operating frequencies for the UWB and NB signals close toone another. For instance, a suitable frequency range for NB signalingmay be the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) bandsin the 5 and 6 GHz range, including the UNII-3 band from 5.725 GHz to5.850 GHz or the UNII-5 band from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz. These bandstend to allow NB transmission at power levels of up to 10 dBm or 20 dBmor more. For the UWB subsystem, a typical RF operating frequency wouldbe so-called UWB channels 5 and 9 at center frequencies of roughly 6.5GHz and 8.0 GHz, respectively. The benefit of using NB and UWBfrequencies in the vicinity of each other is an easier sharing ofantenna hardware between NB and UWB. Note, however, that anothersuitable operating range for the NB subsystem is in the 2.4 to 2.5 GHzISM band (often used for ZigBee and Bluetooth and other consumerwireless systems), and a variety of UWB center frequencies from 1 GHz to10 GHz and beyond 10 GHz can be utilized for the hybrid system concept.

In regards to hardware implementations of the hybrid system concept, itshould be noted that the NB and UWB sub-systems can reside on the sameSystem on Chip (SOC), which may also be referred to as an IntegratedCircuit (e.g., including suitable processor circuitry). They may also beembodied as separate SOCs, an NB SOC and a UWB SOC, wherein the tightcoupling and joint MAC control processing are accomplished throughdirect control signals exchanged between the two SOCs.

Other preferred and non-limiting embodiments or aspects will be setforth in the following numbered clauses:

Clause 1: A computer-implemented method, comprising: transmitting, by afirst device, a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device,the packet comprising data indicating to the second device a time periodfor reception of a plurality of fragments, respectively via anultra-wideband (UWB) signal; and transmitting, by the first device, theplurality of fragments to the second device via the ultra-widebandsignal, at least one fragment of the plurality of fragments beingtime-spaced from at least one other fragment of the plurality offragments by at least a predetermined time interval.

Clause 2: The computer-implemented method of clause 1, furthercomprising:

receiving, by the first device from the second device, a second packetvia a second narrowband signal; obtaining, by the first device,synchronization data based at least in part on the second packet;receiving, by the first device from the second device, a secondplurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-widebandsignal, the second plurality of fragments received in accordance withthe synchronization data; and determining, by the first device, aChannel Impulse Response (CIR) estimate based at least in on the secondplurality of fragments, the Channel Impulse Response estimate associatedwith a Line-of-Sight (LOS) path between the first device and the seconddevice

Clause 3: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1 or 2,wherein the synchronization data conveys at least one of: (1) time andfrequency synchronization information, or (2) scheduling information.

Clause 4: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-3, whereinthe first device comprises a hybrid wireless transceiver that comprisesa narrowband sub-system and an ultra-wideband sub-system, and whereinthe narrowband sub-system and the ultra-wideband sub-system of the firstdevice are configured to exchange wireless signals with the seconddevice.

Clause 5: The computer-implemented method of clause 4, wherein thenarrowband sub-system of the first device is associated with a firstantenna and the ultra-wideband sub-system of the first device isassociated with a second antenna, and wherein the first antenna is asame as or different from the second antenna.

Clause 6: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 4-5, whereina wireless system of the first device, which is separate from the hybridwireless transceiver, transmits data to the second device that is usedto schedule a start time for transmitting the packet via the narrowbandsignal to the second device, and wherein scheduling the start timefurther comprises performing initial device discovery and an initialsynchronization between the first device and the second device.

Clause 7: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 4-6, whereinthe hybrid wireless transceiver further comprises a shared time baseunit, the shared time base unit comprising a crystal oscillator and atimekeeping apparatus, and wherein the shared time base unit is used tosynchronize narrowband signals and ultra-wideband signals that aretransmitted from respective sub-systems of the hybrid wirelesstransceiver of the first device.

Clause 8: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 4-7, whereinthe hybrid wireless transceiver further comprises a hybrid systemcontroller, the hybrid system controller used to: (I) coordinatetransmission or reception activities between a sub-system of the firstdevice and another sub-system of the second device that is a same typeas the sub-system of the first device, and (II) coordinate informationexchange between the narrowband sub-system of the first device and theultra-wideband sub-system of the first device.

Clause 9: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-8, whereina format of the packet that is transmitted via the narrowband signalcorresponds to a Bluetooth format or an Offset Quadrature Phase-ShiftKeying (O-QPSK) format.

Clause 10: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-9,wherein the plurality of fragments collectively correspond to a ChannelImpulse Response Training Sequence (CIRTS) that is operable forcomputing a Channel Impulse Response (CIR) associated with wirelesspropagation paths between the first device and the second device.

Clause 11: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-10,further comprising: determining, by the first device, a turnaround timeinterval that corresponds to a time delta between a first time that theplurality of fragments was received by the second device from the firstdevice and a second time that the second plurality of fragments wastransmitted by the second device to the first device; determining, bythe first device, a time-of-flight (TOF) interval based at least in parton the Channel Impulse Response (CIR) estimate, the time-of-flightinterval computed based at least in part on subtracting the turnaroundtime interval from a round-trip time interval that corresponds to asecond time delta between a third time that the plurality of fragmentswas transmitted from the first device to the second device and a fourthtime that the second plurality of fragments was received by the firstdevice from the second device; and determining, by the first device, amutual range or position associated with the second device relative tothe first device based at least in part on the time-of-flight interval.

Clause 12: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-11,wherein the second packet is received by a narrowband sub-system of ahybrid wireless transceiver of the first device, wherein thesynchronization data is obtained from the second packet by a hybridsystem controller of the hybrid wireless transceiver, and wherein anultra-wideband sub-system of the hybrid wireless transceiver schedulesthe reception of the second plurality of fragments by utilizing thesynchronization data.

Clause 13: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-12,further comprising: transmitting, by the first device, payload data tothe second device via another narrowband signal, the payload data beingassociated with the plurality of fragments that is transmitted via theultra-wideband signal, wherein the payload data is associated withstatus reporting or timestamp information.

Clause 14: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-13,further comprising: transmitting, by the first device, a secondplurality of fragments to the second device via respectiveultra-wideband signals, the second plurality of fragments collectivelycorresponding to payload data associated with the plurality offragments, wherein the second plurality of fragments is also scheduledfor transmission in accordance with scheduling information that isconveyed by the first device to the second device via the narrowbandsignal as payload data of the packet, and wherein respective fragmentsof the second plurality of fragments are time-spaced from otherfragments of the second plurality of fragments by at least thepredetermined time interval.

Clause 15: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-14,wherein transmitting the packet via the narrowband signal furthercomprises: transmitting, by the first device to the second device, afirst packet via a first channel; transmitting, by the first device tothe second device, a second packet via a second channel that isdifferent from the first channel; and transmitting, by the first deviceto the second device, a third packet via a third channel that isdifferent from the first channel and the second channel, and wherein thefirst packet, the second packet, and the third packet are respectivelytransmitted utilizing narrowband signals.

Clause 16: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-15,wherein transmitting the packet via the narrowband signal furthercomprises: transmitting, by the first device to the second device, afirst initiation packet via a first channel; transmitting, by the firstdevice to the second device, a second initiation packet via a secondchannel that is different from the first channel based at least in parton determining that a first response packet is not received by the firstdevice from the second device via the first channel in response to thefirst initiation packet; and transmitting, by the first device to thesecond device, a third initiation packet via a third channel that isdifferent from the first channel and the second channel based at leastin part on determining that a second response packet is not received bythe first device from the second device via the second channel inresponse to the second initiation packet, and wherein the firstinitiation packet, the second initiation packet, and the thirdinitiation packet are respectively transmitted utilizing narrowbandsignals.

Clause 17: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 15-16,wherein instructions for transmitting packets are exchanged between thefirst device and the second device via an out-of-band (OOB) system thatis separate from a hybrid wireless transceiver of the respectivedevices, the instructions comprising information for determining anumber of times to transmit initiation packets or a channel hoppingconfiguration for selecting channels.

Clause 18: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-17,further comprising: receiving, by the first device and subsequent totransmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device, a secondplurality of fragments from the second device, wherein a first time thata first fragment of the second plurality of fragments is transmitted tothe first device is offset from a first time that a first fragment ofthe plurality of fragments is transmitted from the first device to thesecond device by a fixed time interval that is known by at least one ofthe first device or the second device, the fixed time interval beingutilizable for computing a range or time-of flight.

Clause 19: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-18,further comprising: receiving, by the first device and subsequent totransmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device, a secondplurality of fragments from the second device; and receiving, by thefirst device from the second device, a second packet via a secondnarrowband signal, the second packet comprising information that may beused to determine a range or time-of-flight, the information comprisingat least one of: (I) a roundtrip time, (II) a turnaround time, or (III)a status report.

Clause 20: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-19,further comprising: receiving, by the first device and subsequent totransmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device, a secondpacket from the second device via a second narrowband signal, the secondpacket being utilizable for scheduling reception by the first device ofa second plurality of fragments; and receiving, by the first device fromthe second device, the second plurality of fragments, respectively, viaan ultra-wideband signal.

Clause 21: The computer-implemented method of clause 20, wherein thesecond packet comprises information that may be used by the first deviceto determine a range or time-of-flight associated with the plurality offragments.

Clause 22: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-21,wherein transmitting the plurality of fragments to the second devicefurther comprises transmitting a first fragment of the plurality offragments to the second device, the method further comprising:receiving, by the first device from the second device, a first fragmentof a second plurality of fragments, the second plurality of fragmentsrespectively being transmitted via a second ultra-wideband signal, andwherein the first fragment of the second plurality of fragments isreceived by the first device within the predetermined time interval thatdefines a time-space between the first fragment and a second fragment ofthe plurality of fragments; and transmitting, by the first device to thesecond device, the second fragment of the plurality of fragmentssubsequent to a completion of the predetermined time interval.

Clause 23: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-22,wherein obtaining synchronization data further comprises at least oneof: (1) extracting time and frequency synchronization information basedat least in part detecting a pattern associated with the secondnarrowband signal, the pattern associated with a synchronization headerof the second packet, or (2) extracting scheduling information based atleast in part on detecting a data payload of the second packet.

Clause 24: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-23,further comprising: scheduling, by the first device, a start time fortransmitting the packet via the narrowband signal to the second device;initiating, by the first device, transmission of the packet via thenarrowband signal to the second device at the scheduled start time, thepacket conveying second synchronization data that is utilizable by thesecond device to schedule reception of the plurality of fragments,respectively, via the ultra-wideband signal; and scheduling, by thefirst device, transmission of the plurality of fragments via theultra-wideband signal.

Clause 25: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-24,further comprising: scheduling, by the first device, a window forreception of the second packet that is transmitted by the second deviceto the first device via the second narrowband signal; initiating, by thefirst device, reception of the second packet from the second device viathe second narrowband signal during the scheduled window; andscheduling, by the first device, reception of the second plurality offragments based at least in part on the obtained synchronization data.

Clause 26: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1-25,wherein scheduling reception of the second plurality of fragmentsfurther comprises utilizing time and frequency synchronizationinformation extracted from the second packet to synchronize a sharedtime base unit of the first device with the second device.

Other embodiments of the disclosure may be directed to an apparatus,comprising: a memory comprising computer-executable instructions; andone or more processors in communication with the memory and configuredto access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions toperform the method of any of clauses 1-26.

Other embodiments of the disclosure may be directed to one or morecomputer-readable storage mediums comprising computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform the method of any of clauses 1-26.

Other embodiments of the disclosure may be directed to a devicecomprising: processor circuitry configured to perform the method of anyof clauses 1-26.

The various embodiments further can be implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers, computing devices or processing devices that can be used tooperate any of a number of applications. User or client devices caninclude any of a number of general purpose personal computers, such asdesktop or laptop computers running a standard operating system, as wellas cellular, wireless and handheld devices running mobile software andcapable of supporting a number of networking and messaging protocols.Such a system also can include a number of workstations running any of avariety of commercially-available operating systems and other knownapplications for purposes such as development and database management.These devices also can include other electronic devices, such as dummyterminals, thin-clients, gaming systems and other devices capable ofcommunicating via a network.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS, and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combination thereof.

In embodiments utilizing a network server, the network server can runany of a variety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTPservers, FTP servers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers, andbusiness application servers. The server(s) also may be capable ofexecuting programs or scripts in response requests from user devices,such as by executing one or more applications that may be implemented asone or more scripts or programs written in any programming language,such as Java®, C, C# or C++, or any scripting language, such as Perl,Python or TCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) may alsoinclude database servers, including without limitation thosecommercially available from Oracle®, Microsoft®, Sybase®, and IBM®.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of embodiments, the informationmay reside in a storage-area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled inthe art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat may be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one inputdevice (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch screen or keypad),and at least one output device (e.g., a display device, printer orspeaker). Such a system may also include one or more storage devices,such as disk drives, optical storage devices, and solid-state storagedevices such as RAM or ROM, as well as removable media devices, memorycards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices also can include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device, etc.), and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, representing remote, local, fixed,and/or removable storage devices as well as storage media fortemporarily and/or more permanently containing, storing, transmitting,and retrieving computer-readable information. The system and variousdevices also typically will include a number of software applications,modules, services or other elements located within at least one workingmemory device, including an operating system and application programs,such as a client application or browser. It should be appreciated thatalternate embodiments may have numerous variations from that describedabove. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/orparticular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets) or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

Non-transitory storage media and computer-readable storage media forcontaining code, or portions of code, can include any appropriate mediaknown or used in the art such as, but not limited to, volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data, including RAM, ROM, Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, DVD or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any othermedium that can be used to store the desired information and that can beaccessed by the a system device. Based at least in part on thedisclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement thevarious embodiments. However, computer-readable storage media does notinclude transitory media such as carrier waves or the like.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereofare shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructionsand equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure,as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within,attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.The phrase “based at least in part on” should be understood to beopen-ended, and not limiting in any way, and is intended to beinterpreted or otherwise read as “based at least in part on,” whereappropriate. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intendedto serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to eachseparate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicatedherein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specificationas if it were individually recited herein. All methods described hereincan be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated hereinor otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure anddoes not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood within thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z).Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and shouldnot, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at leastone of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present. Additionally,conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, should also be understood to meanX, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including “X, Y, and/or Z.”

Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, includingthe best mode known for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of thosepreferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art upon reading the foregoing description. Skilled artisans wouldbe expected to employ such variations as appropriate, and it is intendedfor the techniques to be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicatedherein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is thegathering and use of data to wirelessly transmit a secure frame forauthentication. The present disclosure contemplates that in someinstances, this gathered data may include personally identifiableinformation (PII) data that uniquely identifies or can be used tocontact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data caninclude demographic data, location-based data (e.g., GPS coordinates),telephone numbers, email addresses, Twitter ID's, home addresses, or anyother identifying or personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used toobtain access to a resource that is control by an access control system.

The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities shouldimplement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining personal information data private andsecure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and shouldbe updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personalinformation from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonableuses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimateuses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving theinformed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities shouldconsider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access tosuch personal information data and ensuring that others with access tothe personal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US,collection of or access to certain health data may be governed byfederal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries maybe subject to other regulations and policies and should be handledaccordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained fordifferent personal data types in each country.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof services related to tracking a user's location (e.g., via the user'smobile device), the present technology can be configured to allow usersto select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection ofpersonal information data during registration for services or anytimethereafter. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, thepresent disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to theaccess or use of personal information. For instance, a user may benotified upon downloading an app that their personal information datawill be accessed and then reminded again just before personalinformation data is accessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth,etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g.,collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level),controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users),and/or other methods.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:transmitting, by a first device, a packet via a narrowband (NB) signalto a second device, the packet comprising data indicating to the seconddevice a time period for reception of a plurality of fragments,respectively via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal; and transmitting, bythe first device, the plurality of fragments to the second device viathe ultra-wideband signal, at least one fragment of the plurality offragments being time-spaced from at least one other fragment of theplurality of fragments by at least a predetermined time interval.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving,by the first device from the second device, a second packet via a secondnarrowband signal; obtaining, by the first device, synchronization databased at least in part on the second packet; receiving, by the firstdevice from the second device, a second plurality of fragments,respectively, via a second ultra-wideband signal, the second pluralityof fragments received in accordance with the synchronization data; anddetermining, by the first device, a Channel Impulse Response (CIR)estimate based at least in on the second plurality of fragments, theChannel Impulse Response estimate associated with a Line-of-Sight (LOS)path between the first device and the second device.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the synchronization dataconveys at least one of: (1) time and frequency synchronizationinformation, or (2) scheduling information.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a hybrid wirelesstransceiver that comprises a narrowband sub-system and an ultra-widebandsub-system, and wherein the narrowband sub-system and the ultra-widebandsub-system of the first device are configured to exchange wirelesssignals with the second device.
 5. A first device, comprising: a memoryconfigured to store computer-executable instructions; and one or moreprocessors in communication with the memory and configured to access thememory and execute the computer-executable instructions to, at least:transmit a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device, thepacket comprising data indicating to the second device a time period forreception of a plurality of fragments, respectively via anultra-wideband (UWB) signal; and transmit the plurality of fragments tothe second device via the ultra-wideband signal, at least one fragmentof the plurality of fragments being time-spaced from at least one otherfragment of the plurality of fragments by at least a predetermined timeinterval.
 6. The first device of claim 5, wherein a format of the packetthat is transmitted via the narrowband signal corresponds to a Bluetoothformat or an Offset Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (O-QPSK) format. 7.The first device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of fragmentscollectively correspond to a Channel Impulse Response Training Sequence(CIRTS) that is operable for computing a Channel Impulse Response (CIR)associated with wireless propagation paths between the first device andthe second device.
 8. The first device of claim 5, wherein theinstructions further comprise: determining a turnaround time intervalthat corresponds to a time delta between a first time that the pluralityof fragments was received by the second device from the first device anda second time that a second plurality of fragments was transmitted bythe second device to the first device; determining a time-of-flight(TOF) interval based at least in part on a Channel Impulse Response(CIR) estimate, the time-of-flight interval computed based at least inpart on subtracting the turnaround time interval from a round-trip timeinterval that corresponds to a second time delta between a third timethat the plurality of fragments was transmitted from the first device tothe second device and a fourth time that the second plurality offragments was received by the first device from the second device; anddetermining a mutual range or position associated with the second devicerelative to the first device based at least in part on thetime-of-flight interval.
 9. The first device of claim 5, wherein asecond packet is received from the second device by a narrowbandsub-system of a hybrid wireless transceiver of the first device, whereinsynchronization data is obtained from the second packet by a hybridsystem controller of the hybrid wireless transceiver, and wherein anultra-wideband sub-system of the hybrid wireless transceiver schedulesthe reception of a second plurality of fragments by utilizing thesynchronization data.
 10. The first device of claim 5, wherein theinstructions further comprise: transmitting payload data to the seconddevice via another narrowband signal, the payload data being associatedwith the plurality of fragments that is transmitted via theultra-wideband signal, wherein the payload data is associated withstatus reporting or timestamp information.
 11. The first device of claim5, wherein the instructions further comprise: transmitting a secondplurality of fragments to the second device via respectiveultra-wideband signals, the second plurality of fragments collectivelycorresponding to payload data associated with the plurality offragments, wherein the second plurality of fragments is also scheduledfor transmission in accordance with scheduling information that isconveyed by the first device to the second device via the narrowbandsignal as payload data of the packet, and wherein respective fragmentsof the second plurality of fragments are time-spaced from otherfragments of the second plurality of fragments by at least thepredetermined time interval.
 12. The first device of claim 5, whereintransmitting the packet via the narrowband signal further comprises:transmitting, to the second device, a first packet via a first channel;transmitting, to the second device, a second packet via a second channelthat is different from the first channel; and transmitting, to thesecond device, a third packet via a third channel that is different fromthe first channel and the second channel, and wherein the first packet,the second packet, and the third packet are respectively transmittedutilizing narrowband signals.
 13. The first device of claim 5, whereintransmitting the packet via the narrowband signal further comprises:transmitting, to the second device, a first initiation packet via afirst channel; transmitting, to the second device, a second initiationpacket via a second channel that is different from the first channelbased at least in part on determining that a first response packet isnot received by the first device from the second device via the firstchannel in response to the first initiation packet; and transmitting, tothe second device, a third initiation packet via a third channel that isdifferent from the first channel and the second channel based at leastin part on determining that a second response packet is not received bythe first device from the second device via the second channel inresponse to the second initiation packet, and wherein the firstinitiation packet, the second initiation packet, and the thirdinitiation packet are respectively transmitted utilizing narrowbandsignals.
 14. The first device of claim 5, wherein instructions fortransmitting packets are exchanged between the first device and thesecond device via an out-of-band (OOB) system that is separate from ahybrid wireless transceiver of the respective devices, the instructionscomprising information for determining a number of times to transmitinitiation packets or a channel hopping configuration for selectingchannels.
 15. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: receiving, subsequent to transmitting the plurality offragments to the second device, a second plurality of fragments from thesecond device, wherein a first time that a first fragment of the secondplurality of fragments is transmitted to the first device is offset froma first time that a first fragment of the plurality of fragments istransmitted from the first device to the second device by a fixed timeinterval that is known by at least one of the first device or the seconddevice, the fixed time interval being utilizable for computing a rangeor time-of flight.
 16. One or more non-transitory computer-readablestorage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors of a first device, cause the one ormore processors to perform operations, comprising: transmitting a packetvia a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device, the packet comprisingdata indicating to the second device a time period for reception of aplurality of fragments, respectively via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal;and transmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device via theultra-wideband signal, at least one fragment of the plurality offragments being time-spaced from at least one other fragment of theplurality of fragments by at least a predetermined time interval. 17.The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim16, wherein the instructions further comprise: receiving, subsequent totransmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device, a secondplurality of fragments from the second device; and receiving, from thesecond device, a second packet via a second narrowband signal, thesecond packet comprising information that may be used to determine arange or time-of-flight, the information comprising at least one of: (I)a roundtrip time, (II) a turnaround time, or (III) a status report. 18.The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim16, wherein the instructions further comprise: receiving, subsequent totransmitting the plurality of fragments to the second device, a secondpacket from the second device via a second narrowband signal, the secondpacket being utilizable for scheduling reception by the first device ofa second plurality of fragments; and receiving, from the second device,the second plurality of fragments, respectively, via an ultra-widebandsignal.
 19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia of claim 16, wherein transmitting the plurality of fragments tothe second device further comprises transmitting a first fragment of theplurality of fragments to the second device, and wherein theinstructions further comprise: receiving, by the first device from thesecond device, a first fragment of a second plurality of fragments, thesecond plurality of fragments respectively being transmitted via asecond ultra-wideband signal, and wherein the first fragment of thesecond plurality of fragments is received by the first device within thepredetermined time interval that defines a time-space between the firstfragment and a second fragment of the plurality of fragments; andtransmitting, by the first device to the second device, the secondfragment of the plurality of fragments subsequent to a completion of thepredetermined time interval.
 20. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: scheduling a start time for transmitting the packetvia the narrowband signal to the second device; initiating transmissionof the packet via the narrowband signal to the second device at thescheduled start time, the packet conveying second synchronization datathat is utilizable by the second device to schedule reception of theplurality of fragments, respectively, via the ultra-wideband signal; andscheduling transmission of the plurality of fragments via theultra-wideband signal.